Rafa Benitez had previously spoke about playing Chelsea defender David Luiz in midfield and considering the lack of players we have in that position at the moment, it was no surprise that he tried the Brazilian there against Monterrey in the Club World Cup this morning.
The Blues won 3-1 on the day and booked themselves a place in Sunday’s final against Corinthians and Benitez praised Luiz’s versatility as he played in an unfamiliar position. The interim manager said:
“It’s an option for the future, but it was mainly for this game.
“I know David from Benfica, where he was playing centre-back, left full-back, right full-back, in many positions.
“David is quick and can regain a lot of balls and, at the same time, can play passes to our players.”
Does Luiz have a future in Chelsea’s midfield?
Personally, I’ve never been a fan of the idea that the 25-year-old should play in a defensive midfield position as has been mooted previously as I don’t believe he has the discipline to play in the role. Also, many argue he should play there as his defensive lapses would be further up the pitch which should do less damage but I don’t agree with this either. You defend as a team and you don’t move your mistakes, you rectify them.
However, there’s a possibility he could play a box-to-box role in our midfield if he’s to play alongside a defensively minded player like he did today with John Obi Mikel, but it wouldn’t work out with the likes of Ramires who also likes to surge forward given the opportunity.
It’s always useful to have one or two players in the squad that have the versatility to play in a number of positions, so it’s certainly something Benitez may wish to experiment with, especially as Romeu is injured and Mikel has a domestic suspension.
