http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3768690/David-Luiz-Chelsea-ruthless-boss-Antonio-Conte-play-maverick-star.html

It's like the mail totally forgot we signed Alonso too...

very smart signing this, he fits Conte's bill perfectly
a ball playing defender, can whip in long ball accurately with both feet
i won't get my hopes up yet though

7 minutes ago, coco said:

Luiz is twice the ball player Bonucci is.

Still, don't see it working with Luiz's 'defensive capacities'. Expand a bit more on how Luiz's "great" ball-playing can work on a defence of 3 and not leave us playing with 2 at the back (and it is a genuine question to learn, I'm not trying to have a go at his signing). I still think he may be better placed beside Kante rather than in a back 3.

just hoping he pulls out one of those screamers when we play city and utd 

Has 3 at the back ever been that successful in the premiership? I know Chelsea played it in 97 but Chelsea had a great sweeper in Leboeuf.

I have seen West Ham and Liverpool use it a few times but always go back to 4 at the back.

19 minutes ago, Chelsbear said:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3768690/David-Luiz-Chelsea-ruthless-boss-Antonio-Conte-play-maverick-star.html

It's like the mail totally forgot we signed Alonso too...

They also refer to 3-5-2 as the formation Conte "loves" and suggest that he would play Hazard at left wing-back.

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/15116/10560828/why-david-luiz-transfer-makes-sense-for-chelsea

 

Why David Luiz transfer makes sense for Chelsea

By Peter Smith

Last Updated: 01/09/16 10:29am

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The adventurous defender may seem an odd fit for Antonio Conte's highly-structured approach but David Luiz's return to Chelsea makes sense for player and club, writes Peter Smith…

Earlier this month Gary Cahill was asked about Antonio Conte's methods. "He's added organisation and a lot of discipline," said the defender. "Players know exactly what their role should be at each individual time they're on the pitch."

It's an approach the Italian manager has become known for; Conte maps out each player's duties in detailed and intense tactics-based training sessions.

 

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So the £30m purchase of free-wheeling Brazil centre-back David Luizseems an odd one. But despite his reputation for reckless and erratic decision-making, the 29-year-old could be an ideal solution to Chelsea's problems. Here's why...

Lack of centre-back options

Chelsea boss Conte complained last week about a lack of defensive options and, with only John Terry and Cahill currently available as recognised centre-backs with significant Premier League experience, there was a real chance of the Italian facing a crisis in his backline should either of the pair suffer injury or suspension.

Kurt Zouma remains sidelined with his long-term knee injury, while Matt Miazga seems a long way from the first-team. Full-backs Cesar Azpilicueta and Branislav Ivanovic could fill-in but the situation was far from ideal.

David Luiz spent three and a half seasons at Chelsea in his first spell

Chelsea have previously made moves for AC Milan's Alessio Romagnoli and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly this summer and the west London side were also linked with Juventus duo Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini. However, by eventually landing Luiz on Deadline Day they have bolstered a key area of their squad.

Luiz brings quality  

With his frizzy hair, adventurous style and reputation for making mistakes, Luiz is an easy target for the critics - but beyond the caricature there is a first-class defender. "Yes he makes bad decisions sometimes and is a bit rash at times, but when he's on his game, he's fantastic," Jamie Redknapp told Sky Sports News HQ.

Yes David Luiz makes bad decisions sometimes and is a bit rash at times, but when he's on his game, he's fantastic.

Jamie Redknapp

Chelsea fans will clearly remember his courageous performance in the 2012 Champions League final, when he played through the pain of a hamstring injury to help the team become champions of Europe and his stats from the 2015/16 edition of that competition highlight his ability.

The Brazilian didn't make a single error leading to an opposition shot or goal during Paris St-Germain's run past Chelsea to the quarter-finals. He also recorded a better passing accuracy, tackle success rate and won more duels per 90 minutes than any Chelsea centre-back.

David Luiz v Chelsea CBs in 2015/16 CL

	Passing accuracy %	Tackle success %	Duels won per 90mins
David Luiz	92.53	83.33	5
John Terry	85.23	60	3.95
Gary Cahill	88.32	50	4.33
Kurt Zouma	78.79	57.14	4.42

Three at the back

Luiz's arrival also offers Conte the opportunity to switch to the 3-5-2 formation he preferred at Juventus and with the Italian national team. Like Terry and Cahill, Luiz would be unfamiliar with the system initially but it's a role Sky Sports pundit Danny Higginbotham suspects would suit the former PSG man.

Mario Melchiot and Dean Ashton discuss whether Antonio Conte will use David Luiz as a centre-back or a defensive midfielder

"People say Luiz can be a little bit of a liability defensive wise, but I think when you look at Conte, the success he had with Italy and at Juventus was playing a back three," Higginbotham said.

The David Luiz verdict

Pundits have their say on Brazilian defender

"David Luiz is a defender who can take the ball out, and I think if you look at Chelsea's other signing [on Deadline Day], Marcos Alonso, who's a left-back, and Cesar Azpilicueta could go over to the right, so you've got two wing-backs as well.

"For me it's a solution for Conte to now go and play a back three."

Luiz won back-to-back domestic trebles with PSG

Proven winner

After Chelsea's abject Premier League title defence last season the addition of a man who has lifted the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup with the club injects a much-needed winning mentality.

In his two seasons with PSG, Luiz has helped the capital club clean up in France, winning back-to-back domestic trebles, while he's been named in the Ligue 1 team of the year in both the 2014/15 and 2015/16 campaigns.

Luiz won't have returned to the Premier League to settle for a top four finish. He'll be targeting more silverware - and that's just the kind of player Conte will relish having at his disposal. 

 

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He's a Chelsea icon

Sky sources understand PSG had no intention of selling Luiz when Chelsea first came calling earlier this week. However, Luiz sought out both the club's president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and sporting director Leonardo to convince them to let him go.

The affection is mutual. This is a player hugely popular with the Blues' fanbase, owner Roman Abramovich - Luiz has talked about his post-Champions League win celebrations with the Russian - and Chelsea players.

He may have celebrated scoring against Chelsea in the 2014/15 Champions League last-16 second leg at Stamford Bridge - a move he later apologised for - but the Brazilian has a special connection with the club. It will be fascinating to see how the next chapter unfolds...

On 8/30/2016 at 21:41, Barn said:

I'll be over the moon if he came back, a bit older and wiser as well.

That's our next captain sorted!

My immediate reaction to news of the potential return of our dearly(?) departed Geezer was similar to Barn’s, especially after being so disappointed to see him go to PSG, but realistic enough to appreciate the financial sense a move made, both for the club and the player. Always an accident waiting to happen and as artful and entertaining as the proverbial cartload of monkeys, David Luiz was never less than totally committed before and never more likely to be so now, such are his extremes of downright dottiness. Yet we are guilty of extremes too, as evidenced by the many curmudgeonly comments that followed the above, either stating or supporting unequivocally the belief that he can’t defend. No half measures and no mistake [allowed] no varying degree to which he can’t tackle, no reckless one ever backed away from, no aid given to a defensive cause - he simply cannot do any of it - full stop - or so we are being told. In my opinion, this is nothing short of gross oversimplification. 

Lest we forget, John Stones has exhibited an equally high aberration level without a single medal of honour to wave in defence of his defending and yet his frailties are quickly brushed aside in the loads-a-money rush to pay £50m for his services. And please, no laughing in those less than cheap seats after City stumped up, for we had once competed with them having previously chuckled all the way to the bank ourselves, laden with PSG’s dosh for David. Looking at both players now, with handy hindsight at Stones last two seasons and Geezer’s trophy-strewn track record in blue, who looks the better buy for the price? In all honesty, with mistakes still to be ironed out of him and totally lacking in comparable goal threat, whether it be 30-yarder or set piece, the new Pep purchase doesn’t hack it [often enough] for me, whereas with our prodigal Brazilian you get what you see and some good old fashioned heart-on-sleeve stuff never goes amiss at the Bridge at the best of times, never mind when it is in such obvious short supply.  

Indeed, Antonio Conte is foster-in-chief of this culture, although in the current market place he has always stressed the importance of aligning cost-consciousness with it. That’s why I believe this is a Conte-driven purchase (whether you construe it as a mistake or not) and an obvious statement of future intent, a finger-pointing alternative to the excess embodied in the Pogba-buying approach of those United moneymen who had him once, let him go for a pittance and bought him back for ten times the amount. We had David Luiz once, got much better value for money out of him, then sold for £50m and now we are buying him back for less, knowing full well the pros and cons of doing so, unlike our Northern powerhouse rivals who can only hope and pray that their ‘choice’ lives up to the extravagant hype surrounding his transfer. 

Viewed in the cold light of day, I believe that what we have here is an all-embracing choice made (accepting the rough Diamond Geezer with the smooth one) when placed in the invidious position of being asked to pay through the nose for a Koulibaly or a Romagnoli and having a completely finished product, like Leonardo Bonucci, removed from the frame early doors. Conte envisages the Brazilian on the left of a back three, protected by the best security system in the business, N’golo Kante, and he thinks he can bring the ball out of defence at pace and with the authority required. The rest will be what it always has been with this guy - a rollercoaster ride that is often far from enjoyable, yet you still keep coming back for more because it is really exhilarating in the typically-Chels way we all know so well. 

In truth, we’ve been eyeing this central defender transfer merry-go-round all summer-long looking for a safe, economic ride to go on and there hasn’t been one available. Had we paid over the odds for any of the cheap non-thrills variety you can bet your bottom Glazer dollar there would have been fans aplenty complaining that they’d never heard of him or that he’s a dodgem waiting to happen, so we should have. Naturally, they would have wanted their money back (don’t fans such as these always treat the money as their own?) but in this instance they would have been absolutely right, because playing the kids has to be a better option than the pursuit of even more over-priced mediocrity in the Mou-mould of old.

… and say what you like about David Luiz - he will never, ever be described as mediocre.         

22 minutes ago, Zola said:

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/15116/10560828/why-david-luiz-transfer-makes-sense-for-chelsea

 

Why David Luiz transfer makes sense for Chelsea

By Peter Smith

Last Updated: 01/09/16 10:29am

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• Didn't want to quote the whole post and fill the page but this is what I have been saying all along, clever article IMO. 
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Edited September 1, 20169 yr by DonAntonio

2 hours ago, Chelsbear said:

We didn't spend over £30 million on him being a backup and he didn't leave PSG to sit on our bench.

I'm certain he is going to be playing

That's a fact jack, unless he is totally horrific (which I have been championing the opposite) he will play, no doubt about that.  

Etched in the minds of many fans are probably some of his most memorable defensive mistakes, such as for Brazil against Germany in that game... but I think we also have to give him credit for his good ones, such as against Man Utd, as a CB.. when after one more foul given against us he gave Howard Webb some much needed talking to... and after that he started officiating in a lesser red manner. The guy has passion, something we could have used last season.

 

 

 

Dorset that is one hell of an effort. You could fashion a silk purse from the ears of a pig that had done 12 rounds with Mike tyson. 

I'm afraid I really can't agree with much of it though, and I strongly suspect had we signed stones and city Luiz you'd be laughing your way to the word bank. 

Let's start with stones. Depending on the source, it could be he cost merely £10m more. Obviously we had no chance of signing him this summer, but it is worth thinking about. 

Also think about the fact he's been in a struggling Everton side working under the defensive genius Roberto martinez. Luiz has worked under benitez, blanc, mourinho and ancelotti. There isn't anything this group, in totality, don't know about being a defender or coaching a defender.  And as a result of working with them ,  we have a player in his theoretical peak who is described by a French journalist as worse than he was when he left. 

If he's better than stones (and imo he's got nothing on him, let alone stone's potential to improve) why did Jose sell him and try to sign the supposedly inferior player? Why were psg happy to sell him at a loss with no chance of signing a replacement? Think of that - people seem to think my contention that I'd rather have no-one than mad Dave is overstating my case. Psg have actually made that choice.   Where was guardiola's interest in this genius footballer?  Stones does have mistakes to iron out as you say, presumably you'd  characterise luiz' as permanent wrinkles? Unai emery is creasing himself at any rate. 

1 hour ago, Dorset said:

Yet we are guilty of extremes too, as evidenced by the many curmudgeonly comments that followed the above, either stating or supporting unequivocally the belief that he can’t defend. No half measures and no mistake [allowed] no varying degree to which he can’t tackle, no reckless one ever backed away from, no aid given to a defensive cause - he simply cannot do any of it - full stop - or so we are being told. In my opinion, this is nothing short of gross oversimplification. 

I really object to this,  it reads like the unpublished sequel to the emperor's new clothes,  or, if you prefer, the devil wears pravda. 

Maybe that is below the belt or out of line, perhaps you could call this a rush of blood to the head...  but then I guess that would be apposite when we're talking about David Luiz. 

Tackling, heading, blocking etc dont need to be analysed separately to judge a defender. 

Defending isnt one or many attributes. You can't distill it.  Defending is the appliance of those qualities. You dont judge a magician on his props. You judge him based on whether he manages to deceive you. Something dave has managed to do with rather more success than his day job,  in my assessment. 

1 hour ago, Dorset said:

Had we paid over the odds for any of the cheap non-thrills variety you can bet your bottom Glazer dollar there would have been fans aplenty complaining that they’d never heard of him or that he’s a dodgem waiting to happen, so we should have. Naturally, they would have wanted their money back (don’t fans such as these always treat the money as their own?) but in this instance they would have been absolutely right, because playing the kids has to be a better option than the pursuit of even more over-priced mediocrity in the Mou-mould of old.

What kind of reasoning is this?  imagine what a pathetic, sorry club it would be to cower from a signing in fear of the fans crying on social media. It would be nice if decisions were taken with the benefit of the team in mind rather than appeasing the false or idle.  "Think what you're doing! Signing david Luiz won't bring back your failed crop of youth team players!" 

1 hour ago, Dorset said:

say what you like about David Luiz - he will never, ever be described as mediocre

Come on mate, with a bit of luck he might be. 

Edited September 1, 20169 yr by g3.7

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/09/01/david-luiz-to-chelsea-six-reasons-were-delighted-hes-back-in-the/?

 

David Luiz to Chelsea: Six reasons we're delighted he's back in the Premier League

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David Luiz comes in many guises; which will we see him in when he returns to Chelsea?

•  Sean Gibson 

1 SEPTEMBER 2016 • 2:29PM

David Luiz is heading back to Stamford Bridge after Chelsea agreed to sign him from PSG for around £30million.

Blues fans can be happy that they've resigned a player for a fraction of what they sold him for only two years ago - winning the title without him in one of those years - but what will the 29-year-old bring to the Premier League this time around?

Here are six reasons why it's good to see Luiz back in England's top flight.

Those shots... those goals

David Luiz has been known to chip in with goals from time to time - always a welcome quality in a defender. But the Brazilian rarely seems in the mood to score ordinary goals, as the following video can attest.

Luiz has a rasping shot about him; whether from a dead-ball situation or in open play, he is always open to unleashing a shot and his record ensures we're all on the edge of our seats when he does.

It can never be a bad thing to have players capable of these sorts of long-range finishes. Expect to see Luiz among the goal of the season contenders come May 2017.

The prodigal son returns CREDIT: CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB

His rapport with Diego Costa

Now that Luiz is back at Chelsea, this Brazilian love-in can really get going.

Costa and Luiz have had more than one dust-up in the latter's time at PSG - is all this water under the Stamford Bridge?

If not, we surely won't reach October before a blurry video makes its way from the Chelsea training ground to the Sky Sports News screens - showing Diego Costa putting his head in or David Luiz nobbling the striker with both feet.

And that's before the pair even have to take to the pitch together. It's got Premier League box office written all over it.

Diego Costa: Scary man CREDIT: CLIVE ROSE/GETTY 

Winding up the opposition

We all remember, of course, David Luiz's textbook example of how to wind up Manchester United fans.

Ne'er can there be too many practitioners of that fine art present in the Premier League, and we can hopefully look forward to a repeat of his antics this season.

It was May 2013 when Luiz, at Old Trafford, was instrumental in the sending-off of United full-back Rafael.

Luiz was hemmed in his own corner by Rafael, and began the irritation by throwing in an elbow that went unpunished both at the time and retrospectively. This angered the United faithful, who had all seen it, clear as day, live, in front of them.

Luiz hesitated, drawing Rafael in and then whipping the ball away with a clever turn, while allowing the United man to come through the back of him.

He then hit the deck like "a dying swan", as Sir Alex Ferguson later termed it, before lifting his head to interrupt his throes of mock agony to grin at the Manchester United supporters closest to him.

Man Utd's Rafael has the temerity to be upset after being outwitted by David CREDIT:MATTHEW PETERS

Rafael was dismissed, and Ferguson remarked: "What kind of professional is that?" Well, a ruthlessly professional professional, it would seem, untroubled by the social mores to which lesser players cleave.

What league wouldn't welcome back such a professional, such a showman, such an expert at winding up the red half of Manchester?

Generally laissez-faire approach to the rules

Football doesn't have any characters anymore. Every player is media-trained to within an inch of their life and, with multi-angle 3D replays of every spit and cough of a Premier League game now available mid-game for the world to digest, few players try to get away with any rule-bending on the pitch.

David Luiz, however,  is a different beast.

Here, he shows that he takes free kicks where he wants, in a daring interference with the referee's magic spray. Nervy stuff.

 

 

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David Luiz's laissez-faire approach to football is just one reason we're glad he's back #CFC http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2016/09/01/david-luiz-to-chelsea-six-reasons-were-delighted-hes-back-in-the/ …

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Referees don't always want to send off poor David, but opponents tend to be less understanding CREDIT: EDDIE KEOGH/REUTERS

A shade more seriously, some of the tackles Luiz puts in are tasty in the extreme - we may even see the likes of Graeme Souness with their eyes watering on a Super Sunday afternoon.

Is he just a thug from the Ben Thatcher Academy of Harm? Is he just reckless? Or is he off in some fairytale land in his imagination, paying no attention to the football being played out in front of him?

Well, we may never know - but on that latter point...

Generous defending

Surely fans of all clubs can be glad of David Luiz's return to the Premier League, for the simple reason that it means they will score at least one more goal this season than if he had remained in Paris.

Luiz's generous defending is now the stuff of legend

The player's charitable nature has reached this writer on a personal level, too - Luiz has saved me the job of collecting a muddle of clips of his worst touches by condensing them all into one performance - against Germany, in Brazil's home World Cup semi-final in 2014.

Cheers David!

Let's also bear in mind Luiz's contribution to this season's nutmeg count.

Anyone who bets on such statistics has just had all their measurements thrown completely off balance.

Dancing

Another thing football is lacking. The whole sport takes itself too seriously and nobody reflects this more than the players.

Players are never doing this sort of thing. Luckily David Luiz is back in town and we can only hope that, when he retires, he founds his clown school on these fair isles.

 

Man, those long strikes. Nearly forgot how good they were.

7 hours ago, Ernie_blue said:

Other's clubs got there targets proven or not. That's the risk in football.

Chelsea brought someone who has proven in the past his a liability, least they knew beforehand.

Such a liability that he help us win big ears playing on just one leg.

I see a pattern here.. This so called show of "Passion" is so effective to get people on their side.. Some people seem to think of it as it's some sort of affiliation while in fact it's nothing special because they do it in every club they're in..

I don't care how conte and luiz celebrating like a mad man on the pitch, I wouldn't try to sugarcoat their shortcoming..  The jury is still out for conte but for luiz, I think it's done.. Despite his ability which I have no doubt he has, he would never be one what you call as reliable defender.. I have no idea how can anyone who even admit he's erratic but still nevertheless accept him and even touting him as future captain?  I don't think he has what it takes to become captain, he's too immature for the role even at his age now.. I think we've seen it, without thiago silva, he's been exposed and we saw the 'common' david luiz in the germany and barcelona game.. 30mils add insult to the injury, making us look stupid in the thread when we sold him for 50mils.. 

Truth must be told, luiz doesn't enjoy defending hence the often lost focus but he's not good enough as an attacking player, what a position he's in and we have to suffer witnessing that now.. 

 

 

Are we sure Conte wanted him? Cause that's what most people seem to think. I hadn't heard his name being mentioned before deadline day, to me this reeks of desperation. Just like with Marquinhos last time.
I think the board said something along the lines of this to Conte "well, sorry but we couldn't get any of the original targets and we left it too late to really search somewhere else, it's either Luiz or nothing buddy".

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against this signing, in my opinion Luiz isn't half as bad as people on here are making him out to be, add to that his personality and passion and you've got yourself a pretty good addition to the squad. I'm just not entirely sure Luiz was one of Conte's targets.

1 hour ago, g3.7 said:

Stones does have mistakes to iron out as you say, presumably you'd  characterise luiz' as permanent wrinkles? Unai emery is creasing himself at any rate. 

Heh

27 minutes ago, CFCholland said:

Are we sure Conte wanted him? Cause that's what most people seem to think. I hadn't heard his name being mentioned before deadline day, to me this reeks of desperation. Just like with Marquinhos last time.
I think the board said something along the lines of this to Conte "well, sorry but we couldn't get any of the original targets and we left it too late to really search somewhere else, it's either Luiz or nothing buddy".

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against this signing, in my opinion Luiz isn't half as bad as people on here are making him out to be, add to that his personality and passion and you've got yourself a pretty good addition to the squad. I'm just not entirely sure Luiz was one of Conte's targets.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone contacted Chelsea to make them aware Luiz was available at the right price knowing how desperate they was.

It looked like Luiz or the Valencia defender on loan in end.

Not saying Conte didn't say yes to deal but I just can't see Conte saying I want Luiz go and get him, could be completely wrong though.

31 minutes ago, mbh said:

Such a liability that he help us win big ears playing on just one leg.

Boswinga played outstanding at Barca, suddenly don't make him a world class defender

4 minutes ago, Ernie_blue said:

Boswinga played outstanding at Barca, suddenly don't make him a world class defender

No one said Luiz was world class.

He's however not anywhere near as bad as some of the overreactions in here. He was instrumental in us winning two European trophies....can't say that about too many Chelsea CB's.

 

8 minutes ago, Ernie_blue said:

Boswinga played outstanding at Barca, suddenly don't make him a world class defender

Who has said Luiz is world class?

1 minute ago, mclovin83 said:

Who has said Luiz is world class?

Calm down, Boswinga was not a liability then

4 hours ago, RMH said:

I'm not very sure how we can play with 3 at the back using Luiz. Some compare Luiz to Bonucci in their ball play, but certainly Bonucci is twice (or thrice) the defender than Luiz. This would leave us playing with 2 at the back white a few times while Luiz is running god-knows-where out of position. We have Kante to cover ??, but it should be the other way around, the CB should cover for any possible ball going past Kante. I'd be more confortable with 4 as @didierforever has suggested:

Azpi - Zouma/Ivanovic - Terry - Alonso

But I may be wrong in my appreciation of a defence of 3, and I would like to hear how it would work in your opinion. In any case, maybe Conte will use him alongside Kante instead of Matic (?).

Bonucci was a joke before Conte took hold of him and moulded him into what he is today, unfortunately as David is already 29 it's probably too late for a similar rise, but Luiz's problems are more self concentration as opposed to opposition taking him to the cleaners, if Conte can work on his concentration issue's and minimize how many f**k up's he makes, then he is a nailed on starter in this team and probably the best defender as well.

Conte shares a lot of similarities with Simeone in how mean they make their defenses, the Argentine has made a good defender out of Stevan Savic, remember him? the total joke at City, one of the worst defenders in a top team of all time, that alone makes me confident Conte can work on Luiz even at 29.

I must say, in my opnion,  the view that Luiz 'can't defend' or is a 'liability' has become something of a characature of itself, in terms of an opinion. 

Luiz has that reputation for his high profile mistakes, although they are not nearly as frequent as his critics would have you believe. 

The side to his game which lets him down is his decision making, normally trying to get in behind the striker and nicking the ball. When it comes  off he instantly wins possesion and turns defence into attack, when it doesn't come off he looks rather silly and we are exposed. I don't disagree that this is the downside to his game. 

What I do think is worth remembering however, is that when it comes to pace, power, physicality, he has it all in abundance. With the ball at his feet he is comfortably better than any other defender we have; his skill set is diverse, unlike others. 

The point I was making though, is that I think he is remembered more for his mistakes due to the nature of them. Basically, they do make him look silly. If you counted up his individual errors and how many goals they have costed compared to the likes of Cahill would it be much, if at all worse? I don't think so, but Cahill obviously doens't have a reputation of not being able to defend. Luiz has a vast array of attributes that Cahil (and others) don't though.  

He has been first choice at PSG for two years and whilst their weekly opposition may be a step down from the Premiership, his performances against us in the Champions League didn't showcase him as a defender who 'couldn't defend' In fact, he was a right pain in the arse from a Chelsea fans point of view. 

He also has 55 caps for Brazil let's not forget. 

I am not trying to pretend Luiz is something he isn't here. I have stated already that he wouldn't have been my first choice for the very reason his critics are banging on about- he isn't Mr reliable and he will always have that rash decision in him. 

I do however think the notion that he 'can't defend' is hyberbole.