Arriving at Stamford Bridge at the same time as Fernando Torres certainly helped take the spotlight off David Luiz. It’s not every day a player -particularly a defender- can move to the Premier League for a fee in the region of 25m Euros and be firmly sheltered from the media’s glare, but the Portuguese centre-half found himself in that very position following his last-minute move from Benfica in the January transfer window.
Torres may have hogged the headlines to begin with but, as Chelsea chipped away at Man United’s lead at the top of the table, it was Luiz who earned the plaudits for his on-pitch exploits, with a series of stand-out performances in the heart of the Blues’ back-four immediately catching the eye of Fantasy Managers.
Having debuted briefly as a sub in the club’s 1-0 home defeat by Liverpool, Luiz impressed enough to be granted a place in Carlo Ancelotti’s first XI the following week and went on to rack up two goals, two clean sheets and 6 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Bonus Points in his first four starts for the side, with his goals -against Man United and Man City- proving an appetite for the big occasion.
Luiz’s seamless installation to the side saw Chelsea gain momentum in their bid to retain the title and his first ten games harvested eight wins and two draws. A Gameweek 36 trip to Old Trafford followed, with Chelsea knowing a victory would see them regain the league lead with just two games remaining. It wasn’t to be, though, and Luiz was made something of a scapegoat by Ancelotti, with the pair exchanging words in light of Javier Hernandez’s first-minute opener.
Hauled off at half-time against Man United, Luiz played no further part in the Blues’ 2010/11 campaign, as a fit-again Alex returned to partner John Terry at the back. Chelsea finished the season with one point from their final three games and this time Ancelotti was the one held responsible, sacked by Roman Abramovich only hours after the season ended.
Key Factors
- New Blues boss Andre Villas-Boas is more than familiar with Luiz, having squared up against him as manager of Porto last term. John Terry looks certain to be a first-choice pick for Villas-Boas, meaning it’s a straight fight between Luiz and Alex for the other centre-half role, though Branislav Ivanovic offers another alternative. With so much cash invested in Luiz by Roman Abramovich, however, the odds are surely in his favour; pre-season should offer more clues to the first-choice Chelsea line-up.
- Luiz’s energetic and dominant style tends to catch the eye of the FPL Bonus judges; his twelve appearances brought home 10 Bonus Points, just 1 less than Ashley Cole, despite the left-back missing only 35 minutes of the season for Chelsea.
- With Villas-Boas looking to attack, Luiz’s goal threat from the back only furthers his potential; his two goals in twelve appearances was just one less than John Terry, though the Chelsea skipper played 33 times last term. Added to the clean sheets that will come his way, Luiz should return double-figure points hauls on more than one occasion next term.
- Chelsea’s opening set of fixtures offer plenty encouragement; aside from a tough trip to Old Trafford in Gameweek 5, their first nine games include (WBA, NOR, SWA, EVE) and if the Blues can replicate last season’s storming start, failure to invest in their players could prove costly for Fantasy Managers. If Luiz is a nailed-on starter, all the factors suggest he may be the one Chelsea defender to turn to.
