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The Brazilian forward got off to a positive start to his Gunners career, but the former Chelsea winger is now coming under fire for his recent performances.
It all started so well.
Willian’s debut for Arsenal in the late summer sun in Fulham had fans praising the Brazilian’s addition to a free transfer from Chelsea.
The 32-year-old was involved in all three goals as Arsenal kicked off the new Premier League campaign with a convincing win at Craven Cottage, setting up two and seeing his shot go wide in the way of Alexandre Lacazette for the other.
He was named man of the match, receiving just over 63 percent of all votes cast by Arsenal fans around the world.
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“I don’t think it’s much better than that,” said Mikel Arteta delighted after the match. “It showed how much he really loves him and how much he is going to boost the other players.
“It was decisive and that is what we want him to do consistently. He is a player of tremendous quality. “
It seemed that Arsenal had found the ideal man to replace the void created by Mesut Ozil’s ostracism, but turn the clock forward a couple of months and Willian risks becoming a major problem for Arteta.
The forward has yet to score in 10 appearances for the club and has not increased his assist count since that opening-day success at Fulham.
His below-average performances already have people questioning the wisdom of handing him a three-year contract worth around £ 150,000 ($ 197,000) a week and there are growing demands that Nicolas Pepe receive a prolonged career to Willian’s expense.
So have Arsenal made a costly mistake by handing the two-time Premier League winner such a long contract? Or is it the case with Willian just taking his time adjusting to a new club after seven successful years at Chelsea?
Arteta remains convinced that his summer recruitment will be a good one.
“I think he started very well with his first game against Fulham,” said the Arsenal manager. “Since then, we have been changing the three forwards, I had an injury and had no time to train, no preseason – it was later than the others.
“I can see a development in the last games. The understanding of the things I ask him is probably different than what he is used to, but it is getting better and better.
“We all know the quality he has and he’s a great option to have on the field. I think he’s a player who can make a difference.”
Willian’s quality certainly cannot be doubted. He has won almost everything there is to gain during his career and was one of Chelsea’s most prominent players last season, when he played a key role for the Blues in securing qualification for the Champions League.
He scored 11 goals and provided nine assists for Frank Lampard’s team, creating an average of 1.7 chances per game for his teammates at Stamford Bridge.
The problem is, of course, that he hasn’t been able to replicate that kind of shape in North London so far, aside from that dazzling display at Craven Cottage.
During Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Manchester United, there were signs that he was beginning to recover. He worked tirelessly on the right side of the attack at Old Trafford and saw a good effort cut the crossbar after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang shoved the ball his way.
However, a terrible performance against Aston Villa last Sunday night, when Arteta’s team fell after a resounding 3-0 loss, once again had the critics on their backs.
The Arsenal manager will now use this international break as an opportunity to analyze the first months of the season and the form of his three forwards will undoubtedly be at the top of his agenda.
Aubameyang, Lacazette and Willian have just five league goals between them and Arsenal have managed just nine in their first eight games, their lowest record since the start of the 1998-99 campaign.
Something must change and it could be that the three forwards will have a new look when Arsenal return to action at Leeds United on 22 November.
However, even if Willian is on the bench, it is too early for the Brazilian international to be scrapped or labeled a failure.
Every player, even an experienced one, needs time to adjust to a new club, new teammates, a new way of playing and a new coach.
So it is perhaps no surprise that Willian has openly admitted that it has not been easy to adapt to the strict way Arteta wants his team to play.
“I hadn’t worked with a coach with that mentality,” said the former Chelsea star. Globe Sports. “Positional play does not mean that you do not have freedom on the field, but many times you have to respect the position, what the coach asks for, the instructions, understanding that it will be better for the team.
“It can happen that you don’t touch the ball and you get frustrated, but Mikel always says ‘Wait a minute, the ball will come.’ I’ve been learning a lot. “
Willian has had a lot to take on since moving from Chelsea. It should also be noted that he was happy at Stamford Bridge and would have stayed in West London if the offer of a three-year contract had been received.
“They knew how much I wanted to stay,” he told the Daily mail. “He wanted to be a legend for the club.”
That’s not to say Willian isn’t happy with Arsenal, but it’s another reason he deserves a little time to adjust to his new surroundings at his new club before being considered another costly mistake that will do little more than take up space at the salary bill for the next three years.
“It has the ability to find that last action to open the door when everything is really tight,” Arteta has argued. “He’s getting better and better and it will be a great option to have on the field.”
Willian has yet to show his full range of qualities in an Arsenal jersey, however, and it would not be a surprise to see the attacker fall for the trip to Leeds.
But that wouldn’t mark the end of the road for a player who has added 241 Premier League appearances since arriving from Anzhi Makhachkala in 2013.
He showed against Fulham that he still has a lot to offer and has a coach who firmly believes that he will show that kind of class again soon.
Certainly Arsenal hope that is the case. The club really can’t afford another costly mistake.
