Samara: There was a time during the CONMEBOL qualifiers in 2017, when Brazilian coach Tite was faced with a selection headache. Since he took over as coach in 2016, Tite preferred deploying Philippe Coutinho out wide on the right. But there was another player in that position, whose performances at the club level was becoming increasingly hard to ignore. Enter Willian.
The coach finally had a solution: he grudgingly moved Coutinho to a central attacking position, behind the striker, to accommodate Willian on the right. It wasn't something he was too fond of doing, because he felt that Coutinho's creative abilities were being restricted when he played in the middle of the pitch. But, the two players started to gel well, complementing the Gabriel Jesus or Roberto Firmino in front and the the irreplaceable star of the side, Neymar.
At the World Cup, the quartet up front have been irresistible, cutting through defences with their fluid movements like a knife through butter. This is the joga bonito that epitomises everything that is beautiful about Brazilian football. But more than the creative capabilities of Neymar and Coutinho, it is Willian's otherwise underrated brilliance that has shone brighter than that of his peers.
In the round of 16 clash against Mexico, the feisty winger troubled the opposition defence to no end. On several occasions, he would receive the ball and charge at wing back Jesus Gallardo and centre back Carlos Salcedo, drawing them out before either cutting in or delivering a sharp cross.
Willian's pace was just too much to handle for them and when he broke free in the 77th minute, Salcedo was even booked for tugging at the runaway winger. For the opening goal, Neymar's clever backheel in the box found Willian, who sped down the left and cut the ball across for Neymar to tap it in. Even in Brazil's earlier group stage clash against Serbia, the Chelsea player displayed excellent ball control and was rarely dispossessed.
To confuse the Mexicans, Tite even tweaked Willian's positional play at half-time, making him play in a more central position. Even there, he performed his duties to perfection. The rock solid Guillermo Ochoa singled out Willian when talking about the game. “He was too good,” Ochoa said. “Fast and really dangerous. We could see what he was capable of doing, working together with the others.”
Willian aka "little rocket" | AFP
All these instances serve to enhance the legacy of the team player that Willian can be. His time at Chelsea was best summed up in the 2015-16 season, when the entire side seemed to have mysteriously lost their form throughout the season. It was a broken dressing room under Jose Mourinho, who left mid season, but Willian was the stand out player, who carried the team. An unlikely hero, whose recent performances in yet another poor season for the team is worth noting.
Tite calls him O Foguetinho which literally translates to “little rocket” and the name has stuck with other members of the coaching staff. Although Douglas Costa impressed in that position when Willian was substituted in the game against Costa Rica, it is Willian's contribution to defence that makes him preferred to the Juventus man. With the spotlight almost always on Neymar, there are those like Willian and Coutinho who lay the groundwork for attacks.
Willian has an air of arrogance about himself, an attitude that he has developed over the years, particularly after that spectacular season with Chelsea. But, it is an innocent one of a player who has earned the right to feel important. It has given him a voice at a club that shows little respect for its players or managers; a place where chopping and changing for short-term benefit is the norm.
Chelsea has lost a number of players that way and looks like it will lose Willian soon. The player does not have a guaranteed starting place and it has frustrated him for too long. In an Instagram post, just after the team's FA Cup win in May, Willian posted a picture of the team celebrating the trophy, but he edited the picture by blocking out Antonio Conte with emojis of trophies.
Despite being just a month away from his 30th birthday, the Afro-haired Brazilian is on the wishlist of Manchester United, where his former boss Jose Mourinho is keen to reunite with him, and Barcelona. Though it is unlikely that he will secure a confirmed starting spot at either team, which is really not that different from his situation at Chelsea, rumours of his move has been rife during the World Cup, in light of his scintillating performances.
With a heavyweight quarterfinal clash against Belgium looming, Willian could prove to be the trump card for Tite once again. Belgium's defence looked shaky and slow against the lightning quick Japanese, but they possess the physical presence that could choke the light-footed Brazilian attackers. Willian's speed and dribbling abilities, though, could cause some damage.
If Brazil are to go on and win a sixth world title, they will count on Willian to continue being his explosive self in the games to come. The last World Cup left a sour taste in the mouths of Brazilian fans. Willian could be the less celebrated but highly effective element in a star-studded attack to bring back lost glory.