Kevin Campbell says that it is simply unfair that Willian is being singled out for criticism as Arsenal’s poor run of form continues.
The Brazilian was signed for free from Chelsea in the summer after he was one of the standout players at the last Project Restart.
He was expected to become one of the leading players at Arsenal this season, leading from the front with performances.
But he has looked lost for much of the time that he has been at the club, causing fans and even pundits to blame him as part of the bigger problem at the club.
However, Campbell says while it is there to see that he isn’t the same player he was at Chelsea before he joined Arsenal, he isn’t the only player at the club that is underperforming at the moment.
He says that Arsenal’s problem is a collective one and not caused by a single player.
“Listen, Willian set himself very high standards at Chelsea and we are not seeing those at Arsenal,” he told Football Insider. “He will admit that himself.
“It is unfair to single him out because Arsenal are not playing well. Everyone seems to be mentioning Willian but it is a collective problem. It is not just one player.
“When one player is having a tough time, other players can help them out but we are not playing well enough at the moment. We cannot help him through it. It is a difficult time for him.
“Willian has such quality but at the end of the day Arsenal fans do not care about what he did for Chelsea. What have you done for us? He has to do it now.
“I understand there is a frustration among the fans. It is only natural when the team is playing this badly.”