Why have Willian's performances declined so rapidly?

[ASFN Admin]

Good footballers do not become bad footballers in the space of a few months. So what on earth is going on with Willian, a summer arrival who was supposed to be a reliable and creative addition to Arsenal’s ranks but is instead embodying their deeply alarming malaise? Perhaps more than any other signing in the Premier League this summer, at any club across the division, Willian was expected to provide an instant injection of quality. Here was an experienced player, one of the best in the country in recent years, who knew the league and had proved himself capable of thriving in it. Aged 32, Willian was not signed for the future. He was signed for the present and given the immediate responsibility of providing attacking creativity in a team that had too often been rigid and uninspired against deep-lying defences last season. Rather than fixing the problem, though, there have been more than a few occasions when Willian has appeared to be making it worse. Against Everton on Saturday, in the first half in particular, he had the look of a player who had lost all sense of belief in his own ability. There was no energy, no spark, no invention. In truth, there did not seem to be much effort either, although he did improve markedly when moved into a more central position after half-time. Still, across the full match he competed in four duels for Arsenal — and lost all four of them. Those first 45 minutes were no doubt the low point of Willian’s season, which had started with such promise when he sliced apart Fulham on the opening day. On that sunny afternoon by the Thames, Willian’s signing looked like a masterstroke by Mikel Arteta and technical director Edu.

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