Conte must heal Luiz rift quickly
FOR a manager supposedly on the brink of the bullet every other week, Antonio Conte has won some very significant matches. Tottenham and Atletico Madrid away, now Manchester United at home. He’s not keeping pace with Manchester City, of course, but he is hardly alone there.
Quite why he would wish to pick such an open fight with David Luiz, however, is a mystery. Surely he needs allies in a volatile environment?
Conte fell out with Diego Costa, too, but we understood. Costa was high maintenance and prone to sulking.
He disappeared in Jose Mourinho’s final season and was inconsistent for Conte in the second half of the last campaign. Conte may not have played the smartest game politically but he wasn’t wrong. As long as Chelsea could replace Costa’s goals, they were well rid of his drama.
Luiz would appear a very different character. He has played through injury for Conte, he was crucial to the changes made to team shape, popular in the dressing room.
He seems a genuinely decent guy, too. It is hard to imagine him as the leader of a faction so poisonous it merited this very public dressing-down.
Beating United made Conte’s timing perfect. It is hard to take issue with any decision after such a result. Yet this spat shouldn’t be allowed to fester. The manager has made his point. He has shown great strength.
Now he must show leadership, particularly with the departure of technical director Michael Emenalo adding to the uncertainty. This involves bringing back a contrite Luiz into the fold and moving on.
It is a delicate balancing act. Conte can’t be a soft touch but nor can he be a wrecking ball. Confrontations like this rarely end well at Chelsea.