5 reasons Chelsea's Willian still has so much to offer

Highly criticised by many recently, there are some who still believe that this particular Brazilian has a lot still to give.

Chelsea have endured a stuttering season by their high standards and pressure has formed around Stamford Bridge, with both players and the manager coming into question.

Hindsight however, is a wonderful thing and when you view the current Premier League standings, the Blues have nothing to be overly concerned about. With that being said, there is the increasingly prominent figure of Pep Guardiola's City side impressing many and continuing to win consecutive matches, maintaining a strong advantage at the top.

Antonio Conte's side have already comfortably qualified for the Champions League knockout stages after Christmas, while stepping up with some outstanding displays of late.

One player who has been scapegoated by supporters when things do not go their way is Brazilian attacker Willian. Admittedly, his form has been plagued with inconsistency and some of his performances have been all over the place recently. Without a doubt, he has been underperforming and unable to showcase his quality enough.

However just as he begins to gather some momentum and rediscover some recent form, I am here to tell you that he still has so much to offer, and here is why...

1) The fans love him, and have created a love-hate relationship

Of course, there will always be a pocket of supporters who will turn on players under these circumstances. Generally amongst the terraces though, Willian is a much-loved figure at the club - he has performed well for a number of seasons while famously rejecting a move to London rivals Tottenham prior to his transfer in 2013.

Willian celebrates with the fans

He also visibly loves the club he represents, you can see the passion raging through his veins when he scores a goal or makes a significant goal-scoring contribution. He lives sand breathes Chelsea and he's determined to prove his worth, even when things are not going his way.

2) He is a game changer

Not many players have the gift of being able to make something out of nothing, create a goal from seemingly nowhere or score a wonder strike - Willian certainly has that ability.

He proved his quality once again away against Liverpool on Sunday, netting an important equaliser for Chelsea in a game they probably should have lost, rescuing a point in the process.

Willian celebrates scoring his equaliser at Anfield on Saturday

Thinking back during his four-year spell at Chelsea, there have been so many priceless goals like this from the 29-year-old. His ability to score free-kicks from various angles and ranges has become his trademark, but this is just another ability he offers in attack.

3) His direct style of play and pace make him a defender's nightmare

When on form, he's up there with the best in terms of movement and utilising the ball effectively. With the capability to ghost past players in an instant, his speed makes him a frightening player to defend against, especially on the counter attack.

In action against Qarabag in the Champions League recently, beating opponents with ease

Similar to Eden Hazard, Willian is slight but well built and also has a low centre of gravity. As a result, he has a unique dribbling style and is agile enough to retain possession when getting challenged by opposition defenders.

4) He has desire, excellent workrate and passion for the game

You often see some players in today's game who have a tendency for their heads to drop, sporting a pre-Madonna style. They have poor attitudes or are not ambitious enough, seemingly just there to earn maximum money in a short space of time.

Willian's love for the game is justified by his work rate on the pitch. In my opinion, he's second to only N'Golo Kanté when it comes to how hard he works on the pitch, even when he has come off the substitutes bench.

Willian (pictured, second right) works hard here to double up with Kanté to win back possession

It's a part of his game that is overlooked by many, but Willian has an engine and real determination to win the ball back.

5) He is being used in the wrong position

Chelsea regularly deploy Willian as a right winger. I personally do not believe that is his best nor his favoured position on the pitch. If you look at his performances, you can see that he would offer much more if played through the middle in the number ten role, or even as a support striker who drops deep to collect the ball, before then turning and running at defenders.

Is Willian's time at Stamford Bridge coming to an end, or will he again prove his worth?

I'm not claiming that Willian deserves to be a regular starter for Chelsea, as he has perhaps not earned that privilege back yet. However, I do urge supporters not to give up on him as I believe we are still yet to witness the very best from him.

He's reaching the peak years of his professional career and having been affected by personal problems lately, he's finally pushing through that dark period to assert his credentials as an asset for Antonio Conte.