New boy aware that he has to fight for his place at Chelsea

Chelsea new boy Willian is aware that he’ll have to work very hard in order to make his way into the starting line-up at Stamford Bridge as there’s a lot of competition for places, especially in his position.

The 25-year-old was Chelsea’s most extravagant signing of the transfer window but almost have an embarrassment of riches in the attacking midfield positions with Eden Hazard, Juan Mata, Oscar, Kevin De Bruyne and Andre Schurrle already in the squad, so it’s not going to be easy for Willian.

Willian said:

“My first goal is to become a regular starter with Chelsea, but it is difficult.

“I will have to play and prove I deserve that spot, but I know my spot is not secure here. I will have to do my best and trust the manager and the fans.

“I just wanted to play for Chelsea, even more so now with Jose Mourinho as manager, he is the best at what he does.”

(Metro)

There’s no way he’ll be sitting on the bench too much following a reported fee of around £30 million and it’s been known for some time that he’s really keen on Chelsea, so I expect to see him play a fair bit but even though we’re playing in several competitions at once it could still mean that someone will end up missing out.

Oscar seems an early favourite of Jose Mourinho’s in the number 10 position and already you can see a difference in his game. Too often he’d go missing in games last season but he looks hungrier this season, more willing to work and he’s doing it very well. It’s no secret that Mourinho loves players that have such work-rate as well as being blessed with natural ability. I doubt Willian is much of a threat to Oscar nor would he be to Eden Hazard, who is one of the most talented young footballers in the world and capable of winning a Ballon d’Or or two over his career.

I think Andre Schurrle and Kevin De Bruyne will play a decent amount of games but may be rotated in and out a fair bit which won’t affect the latter as much as it would the former as he’ll want to try win a starting spot for Germany. Then there’s Juan Mata, who has been publicly back by his manager and insists that he’s happy where he is, but his future is constantly speculated over.

It’s been a theme of the summer that Chelsea fans are sick to the back teeth with as most quarters of the press tell us that Mata isn’t a ‘Mourinho player’ and that his days at the club could be numbered. I can’t imagine any manager would be foolish enough to waste such a talent but others argue that there’s no smoke without fire, so only time will tell here but it will be a relief the sooner Mata is restored to his rightful place in the team.

So where will Willian fit? My guess is that Jose will stick with Oscar and Hazard more often than not, so the third spot is up for grabs whilst Oscar is good enough to drop back and play in the thick of the action as part of a central midfield pairing.

Source: Metro