Making sense of Chelsea’s deadline day signing of David Luiz

“One of the worst central defenders in Premier League history.” It hasn’t taken long for hyperbolic criticisms of David Luiz to surface, and this description by Stan Collymore – risible though it may be – is a foreshadowing of what we can expect when David Luiz makes his first mistake in his second spell at Chelsea. For, David Luiz will make a mistake. Most likely several of them. Pundits have moved quickly to condemn the transfer and disabuse the more optimistic Chelsea fans of what admittedly is the fanciful notion that Blues manager Antonio Conte can simply ‘coach’ the bad defending out of the Brazilian. Why, then, have Chelsea signed the 29-year-old for a fee in excess of £30 million? 

Once that has been established, it’s easier to move on and consider how David Luiz might help the Blues this season. Simple mathematics is a good place to start. Chelsea, hitherto, had just three fit central defenders, including Branislav Ivanovic, who has primarily featured on the right side of defence for the club. David Luiz adds much-needed depth to that position and will ease the pressure on Gary Cahill and John Terry. However, the Brazilian has qualities that could directly improve the first team.

Here, it is necessary to digress slightly to talk about Cesc Fabregas’ diminished role in the team under Antonio Conte. The Italian has thus far preferred the duo of Nemanja Matic and Oscar ahead of new signing N’golo Kante, with the Spaniard making just one hugely significant substitute appearance against Watford. Oscar has continued to be a polarizing figure among Chelsea fans, several of whom are eager to see Fabregas start. However, the Brazilian’s dynamism, ball-winning qualities and tactical intelligence mean that he is unlikely to lose his place in the starting line-up any time soon. 

Fabregas is a supremely talented footballer and by some distance, Chelsea’s best passer. His assist for Diego Costa against Watford – a pass that none of his teammates would even consider, let alone successfully execute – will rank as one of the passes of the season. The key issue with the former Arsenal captain though, is his lack of positional discipline. That, combined with his lack of physicality, was a major factor for Chelsea’s midfield being overrun far too often last season. Conte evidently believes that his team needs Oscar’s qualities despite the presence of Kante and Matic. While that has undoubtedly made the Blues a more solid and compact defensive unit, it has highlighted a key issue.

This is where David Luiz can be a game changer. Despite his tendency to get dragged out of position or make a rash tackle, what he is genuinely good at is being proactive on the ball – a quality currently lacking in the Blues’ backline. Particularly in the absence of Fabregas, the Brazilian’s presence could be crucial if Chelsea want to move the ball quickly and precisely to their forward players before they are crowded out by the opposition midfield and defence. Chelsea have needed a ball-playing centre-back for quite some time, and David Luiz can fill that role in the short-term.

Paradoxically, David Luiz is the quintessential ‘Conte player’ with none of the footballing qualities of a ‘Conte player’. Many have understandably questioned whether the Brazilian suits the Italian’s style, but what the former Juventus manager has stressed most since his return is ‘fighting till the end’ and ‘transferring the passion to the fans’. It is easy to be dismissive of these intangibles in football, but David Luiz is a player who screams passion and commitment. Chelsea fans will remember his heroic effort in the Champions League final in 2012, when he ignored medical advice and played injured against Bayern Munich.

The Brazilian has a connection with fans that few other players in the blue shirt have had in recent times. The emotional disconnect between the fans and the team last season undoubtedly contributed in some part to the dark clouds that seemed to loom over Stamford Bridge on the sunniest of days. It is no coincidence that Conte has already made unity a theme in his short tenure at the Bridge thus far. His energy and passion, visible in every game as he paces the touchline barking instructions, has already galvanized the fans and the team. David Luiz’s presence will only serve to help in that respect. 

The youngsters have an ideal leader in John Terry to learn from at present, but the Englishman will not be at the club forever. David Luiz is a natural leader, and there is plenty Chelsea’s young defenders can learn from him in terms of their attitude on and off the pitch. For all of his other faults, the Brazilian comes across as a genuinely good human being.