He may have come in leaps and bounds but when Chelsea take on the field at the Amsterdam Arena, they will be looking up to David Luiz to get one over his former employers in Benfica in the Europa League final
There is hardly any player who has divided opinion the way Brazil international David Luiz has. Some say that the player is way too attacking for his position while others feel that he is not really a centre-back given his dedication to attacking instincts. Former Manchester United captain, Gary Neville, even went as far as labelling the Chelsea man as a “Playstation footballer”.
This season has however seen David Luiz develop as a much more responsible player and has contributed positively towards the success of the club.
The appointment of Rafa Benitez has seen the Brazilian performing a dual role in the side. While being a centre back by trade, he has also been deployed in an unorthodox position in the midfield and surprisingly the Ex-Benfica man has been a useful outlet when played as a defensive midfielder.
Justifying a price tag of 23 million pounds is definitely not an easy task but after a while, Luiz has finally started showing his true quality which was always so evident when he was just a young and impulsive player at Benfica.
On Wednesday, Chelsea play the Europa League final against Benfica, a club that gave Luiz a chance to show Europe his extensive talent.
It will definitely be an interesting reunion with the Portuguese giants and it remains to be seen if Luiz can show his former employers how far he has come.
Luiz as of now is far from being a complete defender and there are many aspects to his game which he must improve. Making risky decisions that a good defender should not make and a very bad habit to have flailing elbows during challenges are few of the problems that the Brazilian is yet to overcome.
These aforementioned habits have cost Luiz a lot in past but if he manages to discard these habits, there is no question that he can become one of the best in his position.
Of late in the Europa League, David Luiz has been deployed as a holding midfielder – a role in which he has flourished. The Brazilian even scored a screamer whilst operating as a holding midfielder during the semi-final win over Basel.
In Premier League on the other hand, Luiz has operated as a defender. However, being a bit further away from the opposition’s goal does not minimise the attacking threat Luiz poses. The goal he scored against Fulham a few weeks back is proof of the fact that Luiz is also a good goal scoring defender, something that is very rare these days.
The defender has scored six goals this season, in addition to this he has also assisted three goals to his teammates. He boats an average shot per goal ratio of 1.8 which is quite alarming for a defender.
With John Terry a major doubt for Wednesday’s final, it will be interesting to see where Benitez deploys him. Branislav Ivanovic who was rested in the weekend clash against Aston Villa will surely start in the defence along side Gary Cahill and it is likely that Luiz will once again operate as a holding midfielder in a trio alongside Frank Lampard and Ramires.
Regardless of which position he plays in, if Luiz is on top of his game, he will play a huge role in Chelsea’s quest of ending the season with a European trophy in the cabinet.
This season has however seen David Luiz develop as a much more responsible player and has contributed positively towards the success of the club.
The appointment of Rafa Benitez has seen the Brazilian performing a dual role in the side. While being a centre back by trade, he has also been deployed in an unorthodox position in the midfield and surprisingly the Ex-Benfica man has been a useful outlet when played as a defensive midfielder.
Justifying a price tag of 23 million pounds is definitely not an easy task but after a while, Luiz has finally started showing his true quality which was always so evident when he was just a young and impulsive player at Benfica.
On Wednesday, Chelsea play the Europa League final against Benfica, a club that gave Luiz a chance to show Europe his extensive talent.
It will definitely be an interesting reunion with the Portuguese giants and it remains to be seen if Luiz can show his former employers how far he has come.
Luiz as of now is far from being a complete defender and there are many aspects to his game which he must improve. Making risky decisions that a good defender should not make and a very bad habit to have flailing elbows during challenges are few of the problems that the Brazilian is yet to overcome.
These aforementioned habits have cost Luiz a lot in past but if he manages to discard these habits, there is no question that he can become one of the best in his position.
Of late in the Europa League, David Luiz has been deployed as a holding midfielder – a role in which he has flourished. The Brazilian even scored a screamer whilst operating as a holding midfielder during the semi-final win over Basel.
In Premier League on the other hand, Luiz has operated as a defender. However, being a bit further away from the opposition’s goal does not minimise the attacking threat Luiz poses. The goal he scored against Fulham a few weeks back is proof of the fact that Luiz is also a good goal scoring defender, something that is very rare these days.
The defender has scored six goals this season, in addition to this he has also assisted three goals to his teammates. He boats an average shot per goal ratio of 1.8 which is quite alarming for a defender.
With John Terry a major doubt for Wednesday’s final, it will be interesting to see where Benitez deploys him. Branislav Ivanovic who was rested in the weekend clash against Aston Villa will surely start in the defence along side Gary Cahill and it is likely that Luiz will once again operate as a holding midfielder in a trio alongside Frank Lampard and Ramires.
Regardless of which position he plays in, if Luiz is on top of his game, he will play a huge role in Chelsea’s quest of ending the season with a European trophy in the cabinet.
