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This week saw Chelsea being handed their first defeat of the season to a rejuvenated Newcastle United. I think Jose Mourinho was at fault for the unbeaten streak meeting it’s end prematurely. Newcastle “parked the bus” after going 1-0 up, which was quite understandable.
The only thing which baffled me was picking Willian over a fit Schurrle (a player who has been relegated to the bench by Mourinho due to a few mediocre performances). Schurrle knows how to break a defense better than Willian does, the World Cup serves as a testament to that. On the other hand Willian knows how to hassle your opponent’s defenders.
Willian
Willian was bought from Anzhi Makhachkala for an astounding £32m.He has made 53 appearances and scored 5 goals for the Blues, so far. He is renowned for his blistering pace and excellent work rate. He often drops deep to help out the defense, whenever necessary.
Slowly, he’s building a sound partnership with Branislav Ivanovic, the man behind him, who often likes to venture forward and help out the attackers. Willian also has enviable stamina and he never seems to stop running. Also, ever since he has joined Chelsea, he has rarely been out with an injury which is a manager’s dream.
But when teams park the bus against Chelsea, he seems lost and often fades away from the action. In other words, he is incapable of breaking down a well drilled defense and so he resorts to having a go from range which rarely results in a goal, something which was evident against Newcastle and Sunderland.
Schurrle
Andre Schurrle was bought from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2013 for a fee of £18m.He has so far made 54(quite a lot of them from the bench) appearances for Chelsea, finding the back of the net 11 times. Also, he can play in various positions. He is certainly not as quick as Willian, although he’s still quite quick.
His attacking instinct forms a good couple with his outstanding finishing. Joechim Loew exploited this and reaped its benefits in the World Cup.Andre Schurrle knows how to break down a defense and he does it time and time again. He gets behind a defense, catching them unawares, and slots the ball home. His goals might not be as beautiful as Willian’s but they’re a lot more consistent.
It’s true that Schurrle does not help out the defense as much as Willian, which is probably down to him being physically weaker than Willian. But he is the go to man whenever Chelsea are struggling against a mid-table side. Willian, is the player needed to defend a small lead in a big match.
This is quite a confusing decision for any manager, but Jose Mourinho is after all The Special One!
