i don't see what he offers us apart from pace. oscar is a far superior no.10. willian doesn't assist, is hopeless at scoring goals, so what exactly is he providing us as an "attacking" midfielder? 

 

He offers us pace, acceleration, good at dribbling, great first touch, great at keeping the ball, great at linking up play, great work ethic, great engine, tracks back, great at starting counter attacks......

^ the great Willian debate; never rated him and still don't, I tear my hair out when fans call him world class. He is a great engine just like Ramires but his output is just not good enough for a top club.

Edited August 23, 201510 yr by ducavis

@Davey Baby, I don't disagree with your view that Willian might be better in midfield, but I think you're really, really reaching with the Iniesta comparison. The only thing the two have in common is a lack of end product. Iniesta is a magnificent dribbler who can skip past two players in a tight spot, execute the right pass at precisely the right time and turn a potentially dangerous situation for his own team into a fatal one for his opponent. In a similar situation, Willian usually dribbles 5 yards backwards, looks around, dribbles a further 5 yards backwards, looks around, then makes the simplest possible pass (backwards or sidewards) which gets us to the grand destination of absolutely nowhere.

 

Iniesta is unpredictable when he has the ball at his feet because he has every trick in the book and the talent to execute it, and that's what makes him so dangerous. Willian is probably one of the most predictable players in the league. Every pass and move is telegraphed well in advance except for the occasionally delightful backflicks. And as far as vision, Iniesta executes passes Willian doesn't even have the ability to see.

 

Willian in midfield has much more of a chance to be a Makele than he does an Iniesta. And I don't think he has much of a chance to be a Makelele. These are special players with special skillsets, and as much as I like him, the only thing special about Willian is his stamina and his magnificent hair.

Edited August 23, 201510 yr by Smacky The Frog

I don't really see the willian and iniesta comparison other than they both don't score many goals.

Iniesta is very clever at finding pockets of space and picking passes, he never slows the play down as he always has his next move in his head. Although he doesn't score many, he is a composed finisher when he gets a chance, and he can dictate games against the very best.

Willian has fantastic acceleration, and great work rate, he doesn't always have a picture in his head, which causes him to slow play down while he gets his head up. He finds space well, but lacks the decisiveness and composure needed to be a really top player.

Completely different players for me, willian is a valuable player to have in the squad, he is a good allrounder without excelling at anything in particular.I don't think he moves the ball quick enough to play deeper, and I think he lacks composure to be a top attacker.

He offers us pace, acceleration, good at dribbling, great first touch, great at keeping the ball, great at linking up play, great work ethic, great engine, tracks back, great at starting counter attacks......

All things Oscar does. Except offers other things like composure, through balls, turning defenders and free kicks. Oh and goals, forgot that.

@Davey Baby, I don't disagree with your view that Willian might be better in midfield, but I think you're really, really reaching with the Iniesta comparison. The only thing the two have in common is a lack of end product. Iniesta is a magnificent dribbler who can skip past two players in a tight spot, execute the right pass at precisely the right time and turn a potentially dangerous situation for his own team into a fatal one for his opponent. In a similar situation, Willian usually dribbles 5 yards backwards, looks around, dribbles a further 5 yards backwards, looks around, then makes the simplest possible pass (backwards or sidewards) which gets us to the grand destination of absolutely nowhere.

Iniesta is unpredictable when he has the ball at his feet because he has every trick in the book and the talent to execute it, and that's what makes him so dangerous. Willian is probably one of the most predictable players in the league. Every pass and move is telegraphed well in advance except for the occasionally delightful backflicks. And as far as vision, Iniesta executes passes Willian doesn't even have the ability to see.

Willian in midfield has much more of a chance to be a Makele than he does an Iniesta. And I don't think he has much of a chance to be a Makelele. These are special players with special skillsets, and as much as I like him, the only thing special about Willian is his stamina and his magnificent hair.

Iniesta is a far better player, that goes without saying. He was top three in the world for a period, I'm not arguing with that.

I'm just saying Willian is an Iniesta-type player in terms of the role or position he should play. Midfield in a 433 rather than on the wing.

Like Iniesta, if you look at our goals, the pass before the final pass often comes from Willian.

He's a link between midfield and attack if you like.

I love Willian but I have to admit now his days at the Bridge are numbered.

Who could do a better job than Willian I wonder? Of the 20-30  we've bought in his position in the Roman era, all of whom had big reputations, big price tags, how many have actually been better than Willian?

 

Hazard - yes

Robben - yes but was injured half the time anyway

Mata - better individually, but perhaps not as good for our team's success on the whole

Malouda - maybe for 1 season out of the 6 or 7 he was here?

 

Aside from that, there's another 20 or so players that haven't been as good as Willian, I think that puts in to perspective that he's not too bad after all. Not every player in the team has to score goals to be useful.

Who could do a better job than Willian I wonder? Of the 20-30 we've bought in his position in the Roman era, all of whom had big reputations, big price tags, how many have actually been better than Willian?

Hazard - yes

Robben - yes but was injured half the time anyway

Mata - better individually, but perhaps not as good for our team's success on the whole

Malouda - maybe for 1 season out of the 6 or 7 he was here?

Aside from that, there's another 20 or so players that haven't been as good as Willian, I think that puts in to perspective that he's not too bad after all. Not every player in the team has to score goals to be useful.

Joe Cole, duff, hazard, Mata, Robben and soon to be pedro.

Malouda is a tricky one to judge as he was awesome for 18 months but pretty poor before and after.

I love Willian but I have to admit now his days at the Bridge are numbered.

 

apart from the fact that they are definitely not numbered. 

 

mourinho loves him. he is going nowhere. 

Adam Sandler is as good an actor as Willian is at attacking.

He misses open goals for fun, such a dreadful finisher. He has stamina but f**k all else.

I feel he's improved of late and am excited as I think Pedro will affect Willian's game considerably. Yes, he does need to work on finishes, but he's not the only one.

Adam Sandler is as good an actor as Willian is at attacking.

ouch!

Adam Sandler is clearly the Carlton Cole of acting

He was very good in Punch Drunk Love to be fair. 

Waterboy and happy Gilmour are 2 of the best films ever made

waste of money....doesn't do enough to justify the price tag 

Should be dropped for Oscar in the number 10 role.  

I've said it before and I'll say it again, he's an Iniesta-type player and he should be playing in a 3 in midfield.

If only we had somebody else to play right wing.

Well well well, Davey.

I love Willian but I have to admit now his days at the Bridge are numbered.

I doubt Mourinho would sell him, unless Willian demands to be sold. 

His days of starting are numbered. I think hes an excellent bench option.

I think he will rotate with Oscar and both of them will get enough games to make a difference. Of course, things become a little more complicated if we sign Pogba.

Like someone else has mentioned, He could ended up being one of the midfield 3, like Di Maria was doing for Real/United/Argentina. Let's hope Jose doesn't mess around with Pedro's position, he's probably the only in form player in the team right now. I know, he only had 1 game.