Chelsea FC’s Most Disappointing Players Part 2: Filipe Luis
Welcome to Part 2 of our series chronicling and discussing the Chelsea FC players that disappointed most during what was otherwise a very successful 2014/15 campaign.
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The players to be profiled over the series have been chosen on the basis of popular vote by our writers here at The Pride Of London. While the first article focused on the Brazilian midfielder Ramires, today we shift the spotlight onto his compatriot Filipe Luis, a player who arrived with much promise but for numerous reasons was unable to fulfil it.
Luis joined the Blues last summer for a fee reportedly around £16 million. He came to Stamford Bridge as one of three Atlético Madrid players making the jump across the Channel to play under Jose Mourinho, the other two being Diego Costa and Thibaut Courtois (who was previously loaned out to the Spanish club).
On the back of an incredible year with what must have been the most impressive side in Europe at the time, the Brazilian signed a 3 year deal declaring that he was looking forward to ‘giving my best for the team during the coming seasons.’
He was the nailed on starting left-back for a Diego Simeone squad that had captured a Europa League, a Copa Del Rey, as a well as a league title in the three previous seasons. Don’t forget that they also lost by the finest of margins in the Champions League final in that magical 2013/14 campaign.
For Luis, though, this just meant that he arrived in West London with a hell of a lot of expectation. Unfortunately for him, it has not quite gone to plan.
The full-back has played only 26 times in all competitions, with just 15 of those coming in the league. Further to that, he’s started only nine of those 15. Cesar Azpilicueta has been Mourinho’s first-choice left-back, and Luis has been unable to unseat him. His sole memorable moment from the season is perhaps the free-kick he scored away at Derby County during the Captial One Cup quarter-final. Apart from that, it has been forgettable for everyone involved.
So let’s stop delaying, and get to see what the writers had to say about the 29 year old.
David: ‘Most disappointing? The real answer is Filipe Luis. While nobody should be surprised at Mikel and Ramires being bad, Luis came with a “best LB in Europe” tag yet he couldn’t win the starting job over a natural right-back.’
Pretty damning from David there, but he’s not saying anything that is particularly untrue…
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Ayushman also jumped on his falure to break into the starting line-up:
Ayushman: ‘If I have to choose a player in the first team who was the worst, it would maybe be Filipe Luis for me. He couldn’t nail down a first team position and when he played, he wasn’t as big a threat on offence as he was previously at Atlético Madrid.’
Luis did have his supporters, though, including Johann who profiled him for our Copa América preview:
Johann: ‘The lack of playing time is more Mourinho’s fault than his really…[Regarding the Copa América] This may well be an opportunity for him to prove his quality, and who knows? Maybe Mourinho might tune in to a game or two and have a change of heart next season.’
Lastly, Joshua just kept it short and sweet:
Joshua: ‘Luis didn’t get enough playing time to prove himself.’
Filipe’s case, much like that of Ramires, is an interesting one, although for different reasons.
During the 2013/14 campaign, it became clear that Ashley Cole’s time at Stamford Bridge had come to an end. Azpilicueta stood in as left-back for the majority of the season despite being a natural right-back. Hence a out-and-out left-back was on the summer shopping list.
it didn’t help that in the few chances he got, he was largely unremarkable
In stepped Filipe Luis, but for some reason Mourinho just didn’t fancy him and he had to wait until October 26th to get his first league start (a 1-1 draw with Manchester United). Whether this is due to not impressing on the training ground, or perhaps personal issues that we don’t know about, this continued to be the theme throughout the rest of the season.
There is no doubt that he is a quality player as he proved as much in his four seasons in Madrid, but he just never seemed to get many opportunities at Stamford Bridge. It also didn’t help that in the few chances he got, he was largely unremarkable.
As a result of all this, there are strong rumours linking him with an exit from Chelsea this summer with Simeone reportedly eager to bring him back to Spain. At 29 years old, he is supposed to be in the prime of his career and he will want to make sure that it doesn’t go to waste. Taking this into account, a move back to Atlético may just be one of the smartest of his career.
We’ve had our say, now it’s your turn. Is it fair to class Luis as disappointing given his lack of playing time? Would you like to see him back in a blue shirt next season? Let us know and sound off in the comments below!
Next: Chelsea FC Transfer Target: Moussa Sissoko