Willian joined Arsenal at the start of this season with Mikel Arteta hoping that his experience would help the Gunners build on winning the FA Cup.
The Brazilian started his Arsenal career with two assists in their first league game of the season against Fulham. He has since provided one more assist for them so far, but he has largely been disappointing.
Even more damning is the fact that the attacker seems to stop the Gunners from getting positive results when he plays for them.
TalkSPORT has recently looked at some stats for the time that Willian has been at the Emirates.
He has played 20 matches for the Gunners this season, but he has just two shots on target from those games.
Ridiculously, he made more passes to the referee at some point against Southampton than he did to his teammates, Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel Martinelli.
Arsenal’s return to form also coincided with Mikel Arteta finally dropping Willian from his start XI.
He hasn’t played in their last five league games after the 2-1 loss to Everton, Arsenal has not lost any of those matches. His return in the Southampton game led to another defeat.
This isn’t even on Willian anymore, this is squarely on the manager now…it’s borderline lunacy at this juncture, as we all know what the diagnosis is if someone continually does the same dumb thing yet somehow expects differing results…Willian needs to get his mojo back as a sub and only in games when we’re ahead…less pressure and less taxing on his obviously weary body
Agree Willian should not be starting ANY games at all. He has had chance after chance after chance and failed miserably. Pepe for all his faulta and he has some has scored and created, Willian has had 2 shot on target in 20 games. Arteta please tell me why you pick him.
He has had chance after chance after chance and failed miserably. 100% agree. And in the same time, balogun had two short chances, grab them each time with one goal. And yet arteta can say things like “he had to be patient, i believe in him…”. Stop this stupid speeches and play this kid. Look what salad and esr did. Playing Willian won’t reduce the huge stupid salary arsenal agreed to give him. So just play the better player or, in the doubt, the younger with room of progression….
100% agree. Had their chances. But in the same time, balogun had two short chances, grab them each time with one goal. And yet arteta can say things like “he had to be patient, i believe in him…”. Stop this stupid speeches and play this kid. Look what salad and esr did. Playing Willian won’t reduce the huge stupid salary arsenal agreed to give him. So just play the better player or, in the doubt, the younger with room of progression…. Because if i was balogun i would go crazy, honestly.
Spot on
Doing same thing and expecting different results perfect description of lunacy he binned Ozil without replacement, now shipped kolasinac without cover. Amn have been a good servant and I don’t know why he has been frozen out of the team. The midfield that was selected was so unbalanced so was the back and front in short this was akin putting square pegs in round holes and expect them to hold
Well there’s enough evidence to show his place is on the bench. Only a fool would start him anymore, so let’s see if performances determine starts as Arteta said.
If he starts Willian & Pepe in Europa we’ll be out of that too. Saka and ESR have earned their starts, and should continue to start ahead of those two.
Quite frankly I don’t give a tinkers damn if I never see them start again. Pepe’s been here year and 1/2 and Willian multiple years in PL. They should feel highly embarrassed by getting outplayed by 20 yr olds, on a CONSISTENT basis.
Arsenal or rather the US owner wants to win the epl on the cheap. The gunners last won the epl 2004. Since 2012 MC and Chelsea have paid billions if not millions to win the epl .I cant see Arsenal ever winning the epl again if they buy old work horses.
Willian is agood player . The problem is he ispast his peak,imho.Thats why instead of splashing the money ,Arsenal wanted a free transfer.
The old adage of good things are not cheap applies.
Wolfgang, you are not even right here. Willian is a loooot of money. He drains one of the highest salaries of the epl, largely inside the 20 highest salaries. So it is not a cheap option, even if we did not pay any transfer fee (not even considering that arsenal probably paid some millions in bonuses when he signed).
William is really not much of use. Next transfer I will definitely put him on trf list.
It’s not like he can be a squad player anymore. He might be suitable for other leagues.
That’s the high risksnowadays if you are getting past age 31 players. Not to say everyone is that bad. But in terms of future rebuilding process n salary budget it’s just that worth it anymore. Arsenal should have at least 20% of close to 20 players will the rest will be young n middle age group.
He was always such an athletic player at Chelsea, so despite his age I thought he would be fine for a few more years and be a decent signing for Arsenal. So far I couldn’t be more wrong. Willian has been playing like somebody who’s put-on 15kg and forgot everything he knows about football.
Maybe there are personal reasons / behind the scenes issues for this because it seems weird. Either way he should be kept away from the starting 11 for now at least, and in any case not played as a No. 10 because he just isn’t any good in that role.
A loan move for Pepe in the EPL will be ideal, then we get rid of Willian and use his wages on other players
Unfortunately he needs to play for us to move him on. The cup games are ideal as none of us would like to see him play in the league. Also he is one of the Arteta signings so he wants to see some improvement for the massive wages/faith he has put into him. To be fair to Arteta most teams in the league would have gambled on him. He was a great premier league player. Pepe is a much bigger mistake as he wasn’t ever proven beyond a mid table counter-attacking team in an inferior league.
Arsenal is becoming a team without luck, we signed 72m player in pepe that’s a big money he ended up being flop, we signed a great player from Chelsea he ended up being worst player in our team, we increased Auba wages goal dried up. We signed partey to improve our midfied injury deprived more games. Why? Almost all the decisions in arsenal always end up negative, what is the problem????
I will reiterate that unless Arsenal stops being the Dump yard for these old players that have passed their best, the team will not progress as it should. If a player is no longer good enough for our rivals, why should we sign him and expect Arsenal to compete with them. Naive and Dumb. These experience players has been a financial burden for Arsenal, as they cash in weekly on huge pension contracts without any resale value. What a waste of scarce funds,which is much needed to invest in younger quality players that could strengthen the team with long term investment. It is time to give the young talents the opportunities they deserve. Arsenal must sell Willian now and use his salary to improve the contracts of the youngsters like Saka, ERS, Bolagun and Nelson etc. We have seen enough of Willian to conclude that he should never wear an Arsenal shirt again , as he has lost it and his form is spiraling downwards at an alarming rate. His presence in the team only denies the youngsters opportunities to play, which, stifles their growth and development. I was right again about Arsenal wrong decision to acquire a needless Willian in the first place, when the team is overstocked with younger promising players like Saka, Nelson, Pepe and Martinelli , all playing the same position as him. Arteta, you can’t be doing the same thing and expect a different result. Playing Willian is your decision and therefore, you, are responsible for the results.
I come on here to admit I was wrong as when we signed Willian I thought “at last, a real tryer with proven Prem expeience at top level”. I know his wages are high but he came on a free and I tend to lool toward already proven top level players as purchases.
Boy was I wrong! WHAT A COMPLETE IDLER- he almost makes Ozil look hard working. This man is clearly a mercenary and has only come for that 3 year contract. WE NEED TO GET HIM OUT THE DOOR PRONTO.
And he can take lazy, one footed Pepe with him, as he, though much younger, is equally useless and lacks any will to win or to fight. Both are stumers and we need them gone ASAP.