Let’s be honest now, Chelsea were a shambles defensively last season.
The Blues conceded 56 goals in all competitions last season in what was a horror campaign for a title-winning defence. We conceded massive amounts of goals away to many top sides in the Premier League, not winning away at any of the Premier League’s current top six. So, ahead of what is a crucial campaign next season, Chelsea need their most senior central defender to step-up and lead from the front.
At 32-years-old, Luiz is Chelsea’s oldest and most experienced centre-back. And with the promise of in-flux in youth players next season, the Brazilian needs to stand tall and show the younger and less experienced centre-back like Andreas Christensen and Fikayo Timori the ropes.
Luiz’s honours list is pretty stacked, with four league titles in three different countries, as well as a Champions League and two Europa League titles. Luiz has shown time and time again that he has good performances in him, as he did in the Europa League final thrashing of Arsenal.
However, these performances have been few and far between, and the £18 million-rated man hasn’t always put in the best of performances in recent seasons. Performances like his one against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium are precisely the reason why question marks remain around Luiz.
Luiz has the experience and has shown with his performances against Arsenal at the end of last season, that he has all traits to be a leader. However, it is mere consistency that is holding the Brazilian back, and with youth being promised opportunities next season, Luiz needs to be the leader Chelsea crave next season.
