David Luiz exceeding all expectations in his second go-around at Chelsea
By Ben Croft
David Luiz has been an integral part of Chelsea’s success this season, putting him in a position to win his first (and Chelsea’s fifth) Premier League title.
In March 2015, Chelsea fans booed Paris Saint-Germain’s David Luiz as he celebrated a last minute goal. Luiz’s goal advanced PSG in the Cha,pions League at the expense of his former side. Two years later he is back at Chelsea, having the season of his life and is once again a fan favourite.
Chelsea raised more than a few eyebrows when they re-signed David Luiz on deadline day last summer. Luiz’s return looked like another panic buy by a club still adrift. Antonio Conte quickly dismissed that notion, saying he was delighted with Luiz becoming a Chelsea player again.
David Luiz’s style has always been very unique compared to mainstream England defenders. He is a centre-back who likes to bring the ball out of defence. Never one for constraints, he was not afraid to step out of position to try to intercept a pass.
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At times, though, he was rash and clumsy. This placed an element of doubt in the minds of Chelsea fans about his capabilities and potential as a defender.
Former Blues boss Jose Mourinho used Luiz as a midfielder for some matches during the 2013/14 season. Luiz put in some very impressive performances at that role, but during his time in Paris, Laurent Blanc returned David Luiz to the heart of his defence alongside hiago Silva.
Under Antonio Conte, Luiz is a completely different player and showing all the attributes needed to be one of the world’s best centre-backs. The 29 year old is at the centre of a back three and not putting a foot wrong. Since adopting this system, the Blues have kept 12 clean sheets in 18 league games with Luiz starting in every one.
The 3-4-3 suits him as well as anyone else on the pitch. Two additional centre-backs and two holding midfielders offer protection. This minimizes the number of times and the extent to which he can be exposed. With these extra fortifications, Antonio Conte encourages him to use the ball and bring it out of defence. Repeatedly this season Luiz has split the opposition defence with long passes to create goal-scoring opportunities.
Luiz has notably improved his off-the-ball abilities. He is fully mature as a player, no longer making rash or clumsy tackles in or near the penalty box. Conte has given him a large amount of responsibility and Luiz relishes his new-found importance to this team.
For anyone to come in the side and keep a club legend like John Terry out, he must be doing an incredible job. That is exactly what Luiz is doing.
With Terry nearing the end of his time at Chelsea, Luiz is a credible candidate to be the next captain. He commands the defence on the pitch and takes responsibility for organizing the defensive shape.
But David Luiz would not be David Luiz without producing some memorable moments. Last week’s free kick against Liverpool was certainly one of them. Luiz took a very clever and instinctive effort to catch Simon Mignolet off guard. Surprisingly, it was Luiz’s first goal since his return to the club, but it was the perfect moment for him to seize.
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David Luiz is putting in eye-catching performances and providing a solid base at the heart of the defence. As a result, Chelsea are leading the Premier League in clean sheets. He is in the best years of his career and having the season of his life.