FROM LUDICROUS LUIZ TO DAZZLING DAVID
The Brazilian is anything but boring . . . and I love it!
YOU never know what you’re going to get from David Luiz, do you?
Genius or madness. A masterclass or a disasterclass. A nine out of 10 performance or one which makes you curse your club for signing him.
Like him or loathe him — and I like him — Luiz is never boring to watch.
He’s a box- office footballer and when he is having a good day, you’d be hard pressed finding a better defender. Without him on Saturday, Arsenal would not have kept a clean sheet against Manchester City and made it to the FA Cup final.
Kudos to Mikel Arteta, because I credit his choice of system with bringing the best out of Luiz.
It plays to the Brazilian’s strengths, just as it did when Antonio Conte’s Chelsea won the Premier League title using 3-4-3 in 2016-17.
Luiz is given protection by the players on either side. He isn’t tied down to marking a single striker. He has the freedom to act as a sweeper, sending piercing passes forward.
We’ve seen Luiz look a little lackadaisical in the past, but there was none of that at Wembley. It felt like Arsenal’s opening goal gave him a shot in the arm, because now he had something to protect.
It doesn’t surprise me the way he bounced back from his performance in that 3-0 loss to City a month ago, when his mistake led to the opener, then he gave away a penalty and was shown a red card.
Luiz’s critics said that would be his last appearance in an Arsenal shirt, with his contract on the verge of expiring at the time.
But the club extended his stay and Luiz has gone about hushing the doubters ever since, culminating in
Saturday’s sublime showing. It underlined his undeniable talent.
Don’t get me wrong, tomorrow night against Aston Villa there is every chance that the ridiculous will resurface. But I can’t wait to find out. Watching Luiz is enjoyable because you are guaranteed entertainment either way.
As for Arteta, you have to hope wins such as this can help him convince Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to stay. I’m sure part of the goalscorer’s hesitation is that he wants to know who else they plan to sign.
We don’t know where Arsenal are financially, but Arteta deserves to be backed. He’s shown such promise working with players he inherited. He has put them to work and seemingly shoved Mesut Ozil and Matteo Guendouzi aside for not getting with the programme.
To beat Liverpool and City in the space of four days was impressive. But Arsenal still need better players than the ones they have if they are to become a force again — and that takes money.
WEST HAM’S owners will be delighted but at the same time frustrated. This isn’t a squad who should be securing safety with a game or two to go. Now that their Premier League status is all but assured, I’m wondering what’s next for Declan Rice. He is the beating heart of that team, alongside Mark Noble. Maybe the emergence of Tomas Soucek will mean it is not the end of the world for West Ham if Rice leaves for pastures new.
EVERTON are looking forward to the end of the season. They cannot finish in the top half of the table and the players look flat. Carlo Ancelotti wants to make his mark on this squad in the market. He will be looking for a midfielder, without doubt.