Frank Lampard took great care to praise Willian after the Brazilian made his first start Premier League start of the season on Saturday.
The Brazilian has been suffering from various minor knocks since playing in the Copa America this summer, and was only able to play from the start in the top flight for the first time against Wolves at the weekend.
He was impressive, especially given how little first team action he’s had. His work rate was phenomenal, and right until the last minute, with the game never looking too far out of the home side’s grasp, he kept pressing and running.
His inclusion came at the cost of Christian Pulisic, who to be fair had played for the US in the international break. Either way, the winger will be a little afraid reading these quotes from his manager:
Frank describes Willian's performance today as 'fantastic' and insists the older players, as well as our youngsters, have been contributing in the early weeks of this season.#WOLCHE
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) September 14, 2019
Summer signing Pulisic will yet his chance, but there’s a reason that Willian has remained such a manager’s favourite over the years. His “fantastic” work rate, as Lampard put it, makes him a huge asset for any manager, especially one desperately looking for ways to keep clean sheets.
