It’s a well-known fact that Arsenal defender David Luiz has a special place in his heart for Chelsea, and has a special connection with the fanbase. Over two spells in West London, the frizzy-haired Brazilian won everything possible at the Blues, before jumping ship last summer to join Arsenal. With fate bringing the two sides together again in this year’s FA Cup Final, it’s only right that we look at David’s career on both sides of London and the part he might play in Saturday’s match.
David’s Chelsea Career Part 1: Cult Heroism and European Honours
David Luiz first joined the Blues in 2011 for around £20m from Benfica, in a deal which saw Nemanja Matic move the other way. He made his debut on 6th February 2011, after he came on off the bench against Liverpool to replace Jose Bosingwa in a 1-0 loss at Stamford Bridge.
Luiz began to cement his cult hero status at SW6 as he scored a superb half-volley past Edwin van der Sar to kickstart a comeback win against Manchester United. His defensive showing early on in his Premier League career, coupled with an impressive performance against Manchester City led to Luiz winning March’s Player of the Month award. Despite a decent first six months in England, Luiz finished the year with nothing to show for it.
His second season in London was blighted initially by a minor injury, but the bombastic Brazilian returned with aplomb to score against Bayer Leverkusen in the opening Champions League match of the 2011/12 season. Luiz continued to be a regular under Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo, even with the January arrival of Gary Cahill and he produced a momentous performance in the Champions League Final against Bayern Munich despite not being fully fit. His iconic penalty run-up and smash into the top corner is still one of the abiding memories of the final.
Luiz ended the year winning both the FA Cup and Champions League, and he followed this up by scooping the Europa League a year later, after a series of impressive performances in the midfield. However, the arrival of Jose Mourinho saw Luiz’s minutes limited as the Portuguese viewed him as too erratic, and he was sold to Paris Saint-Germain in July 2014 for £50m. He made 143 appearances in all competitions for this first spell, scoring 12 times in total.
Luiz unsurprisingly won the lot in France, as PSG continued their domestic dominance. He won the Ligue Un Championship, Coupe De France and Coupe de la Ligue twice for the Parisians and famously returned to haunt his old club, scoring a decisive goal at Stamford Bridge to help send Chelsea out of the Champions League in 2015 in a bad tempered Last Sixteen tie.
David’s Chelsea Career Part 2: Vindication, Leadership and Leaving
Despite starting the 2016 season for PSG, Luiz surprisingly returned to London on Deadline Day at the end of Antonio Conte’s first summer in charge of Chelsea for £34 million. Although much criticised in his first spell, Luiz returned with a point to prove and after Conte switched to a 3-4-3 formation, the Brazil international transformed into a leading light in a miserly Chelsea defence.
There were spectacular moments at the other end of the pitch, not least Luiz’s stunning free kick against Liverpool at Anfield in January 2017 and overall this was probably the Brazilian’s most successful year in England. Chelsea won the Premier League and Luiz was named in the PFA Team of the Season, but the domestic double eluded them as they lost ironically to Arsenal.
Luiz’s second season under Antonio Conte was not as successful, however, as Chelsea finished in a disappointing fifth position. Despite winning the FA Cup, Luiz looked much more like his usual erratic self as Chelsea struggled to click into gear far too often.
Conte departed to be replaced by Maurizio Sarri, who made Luiz one of his key figures. He made 36 Premier League appearances – a personal record for the player – and played 50 times in total, scoring 3 times as Chelsea finished 3rd and won the Europa League against Arsenal. However, Sarri departed like his Italian predecessor and he was replaced by Frank Lampard, who deemed Luiz expendable at the end of the truncated 2019 Summer Window.
Arsenal saw an opportunity and pounced, signing the Brazilian for £8m Luiz’s second stint at Chelsea comprised of 105 appearances and six goals. In total, he made 248 appearances for the Blues across his two spells at the club.
Luiz at Arsenal: Seeing Red
Luiz joining Arsenal surprised a number of pundits: some commented it was a masterstroke to get a player with such experience in for a cheap price and criticised Chelsea for weakening themselves to strengthen a rival. In contrast, others suggested Chelsea were right to cut loose of the Selecao star, considering his unpredictable nature and perchance for mistakes.
After a first season at Arsenal, Lampard’s choice to sell appears to have been vindicated. The Gunners have had a poor season overall and Luiz has struggled a lot of the time, conceding a record number of Premier League penalties (5) in a single season and also being sent off twice – once at the Etihad and also at Stamford Bridge when the two teams drew earlier this season. In both cases, Luiz also conceded a penalty.
However, he has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in recent weeks with Mikel Arteta switching to a back-three, and Luiz put in a colossal performance against Manchester City in the Semi-Final to earn Arsenal a seat at the table for the weekend’s spectacle. With another year on his contract, there is still time for Luiz to redeem his reputation in North London.
Luiz in the FA Cup Final: Returning to Haunt Chelsea?
With the FA Cup Final on Saturday, Luiz looks set to face his former side after injuries to Pablo Mari, Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi. Luiz will most likely line-up in a back 3 with Rob Holding and Sead Kolasinac either side of the Brazilian.
If David Luiz is on form, Chelsea could be in for a tough game, as he has the strength, speed and nous to manage a defence well and dominate physically. Additionally, his passing ability means he can pick out players in the channels and this could be perfect for Arsenal as their pacey players can counter-attack Chelsea’s brittle defence. The likes of Alonso and Reece James will likely push high up the pitch, meaning there will be space to be exploited.
On the other hand, the Brazilian is prone to a mistake. One slip from David could be pivotal in Chelsea coming away with the trophy and the likes of Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Willian will be all too aware of this. Luiz can be laxadasical on the ball as he prefers to pick his pass astutely rather than just moving the ball on, and if Chelsea apply the press effectively, it could be a very fruitful avenue for turning it over high up the pitch.
Only time will tell what David Luiz we will get on Saturday.
Keep an eye on SW6Daily for more FA Cup Final content, including our preview and predictions as we count down to the big day.
Written by Ben (@carefreecfc20)
Edited by Rob Pratley (@rj28p)