Four tackles, four take-ons: Chelsea’s £32m man proves his worth vs Liverpool

Willian has started four of Chelsea’s last six Premier League games and is now emerging as a player who is central to Jose Mourinho’s plans. His performance against Liverpool illustrates exactly why the Brazilian is now in favour and starting ahead of the likes of fan-favourite Juan Mata.

Willian had a busy, but not quite spectacular 90 minutes against Liverpool, only the third time he has played the full game in his ten Premier League appearances. Willian’s performance was characterised by good work-rate and defensive discipline, as well as by being able to use the ball going forward.

From a defensive point of view he was Chelsea’s top tackler, with four successful tackles, a very high number for a player who is essentially an attacking midfielder. As we can see below two of these (and a further attempted tackle) were in left-back areas and the tackle on the right followed Willian tracking back diligently.

In contrast, Eden Hazard attempted no tackles in this game and whilst Oscarattempted seven he was successful in just two of his attempts, demonstrating what a strong contribution Willian made in this regard. Willian worked very hard in this regard all game long, covering the full-back and generally harrying opposition players when they were in possession, making a further two interceptions.If we assess Willian’s Heat Map from the match we can see that he was all over the pitch, rather than just being concentrated in attacking areas, as we might expect from a typical playmaker.

We can see that he was pulling back into the left-back area to support Ashley Cole, as well as dropping deep more on a consistent basis, as per instruction from Jose Mourinho. In advanced areas he was equally effective, creating two chances for his team-mates and constantly trying to get them involved.

Not only did he win the ball for his side, but he also carried it out of midfield and attacked Liverpool’s defence with the ball at his feet. Willian completed four take-ons, more than any of his Chelsea team-mates.

It wasn’t a spectacular performance from Willian, or a typically Brazilian one, but it was industrious and effective. This industry and work rate is what is causing Jose Mourinho to call upon and trust Willian, arguably more so now than Juan Mata and Andre Schurrle. Willian didn’t appear in Chelsea’s first six games but is now coming into prominence an if he can add more in terms of creating chances and scoring goals then he can certainly become a key figure for Chelsea as they hunt for trophies.