Tuesday 6 September 2016 19:05, UK
David Luiz’s return to Chelsea in a £30m deal increases the possibility of Antonio Conte playing his favoured formation, writes Adam Bate.
He's a figure of fun for some but David Luiz can be certain of a warm welcome from Chelsea supporters following his return to the club from Paris Saint-Germain. They appreciate a charismatic character whose passionate playing style has always endeared him to the crowd.
Most of all, it's the memories shared. After all, this so-called liability was at the heart of the greatest night in the club's history, even scoring a penalty in the shoot-out as Chelsea won the Champions League in 2012. He lifted the Europa League trophy with the Blues the following year.
Even so, there will be others who do not see Luiz as an ideal fit for Antonio Conte. The defender's dodgy dossier doesn't begin and end in a Chelsea shirt. There was the horror show in Belo Horizonte and only last month he made a comical error in PSG's defeat to Monaco.
Conte boasts a formidable reputation as a defensively-astute tactician whose demands are high. His Juventus team had the best defensive record in Serie A in each of his three seasons in charge. So what is it that the Italian has seen in the 29-year-old that has persuaded him?
Firstly, there are caveats. Conte is understood to have targeted AC Milan's Alessio Romagnoli and Napoli central defender Kalidou Koulibaly before settling upon Luiz. The man presumed to be the preferred option, Juventus' Leonardo Bonucci, was out of reach.
Former PSG team-mate Marquinhos might have been a better bet as well, but nevertheless, in signing off on the purchase of Luiz, it's an acknowledgement that the Brazilian will be an asset for Conte's Chelsea. Most of all, he'll give the coach options.
Luiz can carry the ball out of defence. He does it whether it's encouraged or not, so it's logical to assume that he'd revel in the role for Conte - a coach who required that of his Juventus and Italy defenders given his preference for playing with a three-man back line.
"I think when you look at Conte, the success he had with Italy and at Juventus was playing a back-three," says Sky Sports pundit Danny Higginbotham. "David Luiz is a defender who can take the ball out. For me it's a solution for Conte to now go and play a back-three."
While that is sure to be in Conte's thinking, it's important to note that it isn't yet a certainty. This is a coach who got Siena promoted from Serie B playing with a back-four and originally envisaged continuing that way at Juventus until Arturo Vidal arrived at the club.
"Even though he's succeeded with 3-5-2, he can be flexible," says Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola. As for Conte himself, he undoubtedly sees himself as a pragmatist. "When I was in Italy I liked to say that the coach is like a tailor," he said in his first Chelsea press conference.
"You must build the best dress for a team, and respect their characteristics and talents. Then you decide. In the past I started seasons with one idea and then changed it because I saw this system wasn't good. Three at the back? Four at the back? It's not important."
What is important for Conte is control. And Luiz, for all his unpredictability, offers it. While he doesn't have experience in a back-three, having played as a holding midfielder it is a reasonable assumption to believe that he has the skill-set to perform the role.
That's something that has been lacking at Stamford Bridge prior to his return. John Terry and Gary Cahill are happier staying deep at this stage of their careers. Now Chelsea have a defender to step into midfield. There's always N'Golo Kante there to provide cover, too.
"I think if you look at the other signing in Marcos Alonso," adds Higginbotham, "he's a left-back and Cesar Azpilicueta could go over to the right, so you've got two wing-backs as well." It will give Conte the flexibility that he craves in order to adjust the shape accordingly.
At 6'2", Alonso also has the potential to play as a left-sided centre-back in that back-line, mirroring the flexibility that Branislav Ivanovic offers on the right. They are all decisions for Conte to make and ones he'll surely welcome.
Luiz might not be the long-term solution but even with Cahill turning 31 this year and Terry in the final phase of his long Chelsea career, perhaps that's not what's needed. Kurt Zouma will return and Andreas Christensen is a loanee with genuine first-team prospects.
He a quicker fix. A player who'll allow his manager to access his tactical smorgasbord. Luiz himself calls it an "amazing opportunity", Roman Abramovich is an admirer and the Chelsea fans are happy. But it's Conte who could really benefit from the options that this familiar face will provide.
