Football
ESPN staff 9y

Willian, Chelsea Premier League Rank, No. 44

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Why Willian makes the list

Chelsea moved to sign Willian from Anzhi Makhachkala amid interest from their London rivals Tottenham (who in turn had overtaken Liverpool as the club leading the race for his signature) in the summer of 2013. On the basis of two strong seasons, it's clear that Chelsea have been rewarded for that audacity with some valuable performances from the Brazil international this season.

He has not always been a regular starter for manager Jose Mourinho, but has taken part in a large portion of the Blues' Premier League games and also started in their Capital One Cup final win against Tottenham in March, his first major trophy with the West London club.

Arguably the high point of his season came as he grabbed a dramatic late winner in a tight game against Everton in February; his strike secured three points that allowed Chelsea to open up some breathing space between themselves and the chasing pack at the top of the table.

Willian may have been overshadowed by some of his more high-profile teammates at times during this campaign, but his contribution to Chelsea's hugely successful season should not be underestimated.
-- Kevin Palmer

The stats that tell the story

- Eden Hazard is the only Chelsea player with more one-on-ones than Willian's 99 this season. Perhaps not coincidentally, Willian has also been fouled 53 times, also second most on Chelsea behind Hazard.
- Willian has been substituted out 22 times this Premier League season, most of any player.

What the experts say

"With his team struggling and title rivals Manchester City winning in Stoke, his winning goal could end up being the most important of the entire season. Until that point he had made little impression in the final third but all was forgiven when his controlled strike crept inside the near post." -- Phil Lythell, February 2015.

"While Wednesday's performance wasn't quite that 'hallmark of champions' -- aka winning while playing ugly -- it doesn't dampen Willian's late goal, given that Chelsea came extremely close to dropping two points." -- Michael Cox, February 2015.

"Here, Willian was allowed to streak down the left. His shot was parried away by Brad Guzan, but only to the feet of Oscar, whose relatively tame shot still went through Philippe Senderos' legs to make it 1-0." -- Iain Macintosh, September 2014.

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