The famous Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has labelled David Luiz as a “defensive liability” due to a somewhat moderate performance in the match against Everton. Here we will try to analyse this statement about arguably the fans most favorite player in the current Chelsea squad.
When he joined Chelsea from Benfica in 2011 for an undisclosed fee, Luiz probably was a bit raw still with alot of potential but not living up to that. His attacking instincts sometimes got the better of him which cost the team some goals and inevitably some valuable points . But like a thorough professional that he always has been , Luiz kept on improving under the watchful eye of world beaters like John Terry and Ashley Cole. His rise has been nothing short of amazing and his attitude towards the game has always been exemplary
Commonly known as “GEEZER” among the fans , Luiz has since helped the team to a number of crucial victories plus some more silverware to add to our ever growing collection. Lets take the example of the most famous night in the history of CFC i.e 19th May 2012. A Champions League Final. Luiz was totally up for it .There were some suggestions that he was not completely fit but he felt the responsibility on his shoulders in the absence of his Captain JT and rose up to the task at hand. It takes balls to nullify the attack of Bayern Munich in their own backyard and Luiz did that quite consistently for 120 Minutes. Its hard enough for a fully fit defender let alone for a half-fit ‘liability’. But the fairy tale didn’t end there. There was a small matter of a penalty shoot out and Juan Mata having missed the first spot kick, All eyes were on Luiz to score his.. and Man how easily did he do that.. That takes nerves of steel and the determination of a warrior .. All of which are attributes we can relate to David Luiz.
Now coming to the attacking mindset he has, its no surprise that he has scored some screamers in his time with the blues. and who doesn’t love that? Be it the amazing volley against united or the free kick against FC Norjselland. The 35 yard bullet against Fulham or the curler against Steaua Bucharest.. I don’t remember any defender in the modern game scoring that quality of goals. There is no denying that he like to bombard forward and control the game but the maturity comes with time and still only 26, Luiz is yet to reach his prime as a defender in my opinion and he is one guy we should net let go at any cost due to this very fact that his best years are yet to come.

There was a reason why Barcelona were chasing Luiz all along the transfer window. and mind you it was for the CB position. (One for you Mr. Redknapp). There are some ridiculous suggestions that because of his light hearted attitude and fun antics off the field, he is not focused on his game. Maybe they should see the Confederations Cup final highlights and see that out-of-the-world goal line clearance of Pedro’s shot. That Ladies and Gentleman is Luiz for you.

Verdict:

To sum it all up, we should not judge our players on the basis of one or two bad performances. Defenders and Mistakes are a common combination. David Luiz certainly has more positives to add to the team being a liability. and let me answer this in some simple accounting language that Mr Redknapp can understand.

“David Luiz was maybe a LIABILITY, but now he is one FIXED ASSET.”

Keep the Blue Flag Flying High!