Chelsea FC’s Copa America Preview

Johann Almeida: Filipe Luis finds himself in an interesting position. Unable to break into the first team during his debut season at Stamford Bridge, he is the undisputed starter for Brazil.

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Not only that, with the untested youngster Geferson having recently been called up after Marcelo pulled out with an injury, Luis has virtually no competition for his spot. In fact, with a star-studded bench, I would venture to say that he is the least replaceable player on the Brazilian starting XI.

Brazil fans that watched the friendly against Mexico last Sunday will know that Luis can more than rise to a challenge. With Neymar recovering from treble hangover, Luis assumed a dominant place on Brazil’s left flank, looking like the lone winger at times. In fact, it was his assist to Philippe Coutinho that opened up the scoreline. Furthermore, he also combined very well with Felipe Anderson, and provided effortless cover in defense.

If he continues to play in that fashion, Brazil can begin to recover from Marcelo’s woeful showings in last year’s World Cup. With his future at Chelsea up in the air, this may well be an opportunity to prove his quality.

Who knows? Maybe Mourinho might tune in to a game or two and have a change of heart next season

Next: Colombia - Juan Cuadrado