“Because of my success this season, teams are starting to double up on me. How do you find space when you’ve got two markers?”
Juan Rodriguez, via Twitter
Willian says:
“If the full-back and the winger are double-teaming me, I leave the left flank and try to find space in the middle or the other flank. You can’t just stop moving.
I come up against a lot of teams that give me no space, which means I can go for long periods of the game without seeing the ball. This sucks, but I remain calm and focused.
This is because I know the ball will come to me sooner or later and I need to be sharp – especially if I get a chance to score.
When I do get the ball, I like to take it into the middle with my stronger foot – my right – so I can fire off a shot, but that isn’t always possible.
Sometimes you need help from your team-mates. When I have two players on me and I receive a pass into my feet, my full-back is already running behind me looking for a pass. I call that an out-ball.
Ze Augusto, who coached me when I was playing for Corinthians, told me to look over my shoulder when someone passes to me to check if my marker’s getting close. He always advised me, also, to mentally rehearse what I was going to do in a game.”
For more football tips see:
Angel di Maria on the art of wing play
Steven Pienaar: Lose your shadow
How to beat a hatchet man
Steven Pienaar: How to find space
Darren Bent: How to be a maestro of movement
