Antonio Conte pleased David Luiz is proving doubters wrong at Chelsea
Friday 10 February 2017 23:10, UK
Antonio Conte believes David Luiz is beginning to show his "real value" for Chelsea, but has warned the Brazilian that he must maintain his concentration during the title run-in.
Luiz re-joined Chelsea from Paris Saint-Germain for £30m in August, following a two-year spell in the French capital, and has helped the Blues surge nine points clear in the Premier League title race.
The 29-year-old has settled firmly into Conte's three-at-the-back formation and produced a series of near-flawless displays, much to the delight of his manager.
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"He is showing his real value," Conte said. "I'm pleased with his performances.
"It's important for him, for Chelsea and for me. I like to repeat (to) all my players - you need a lot of time to be something important and you can have only one minute to disrupt all this.
"It's important to continue this way with great concentration, with great focus in every game.
"When you are a central defender and you play in the middle you must pay great attention, because you have to play football with great intelligence... to understand the moment to be aggressive and to cover the others."
Luiz is expected to start on Sunday as Chelsea take on Burnley at Turf Moor in the Premier League, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 12.30pm.
Despite their healthy advantage at the top of the table, Conte has warned his side they must remain alert against the Clarets, who have a formidable home record.
Sean Dyche's men have claimed 28 of their 29 points on home soil, losing just three times against Swansea City, Arsenal and Manchester City.
"I like to keep always the right tension in my players," Conte said. "After a good win you can be relaxed and I try to avoid this.
"This is a part of improving your mentality, the winning mentality.
"When you have this type of game against Liverpool or Arsenal the tension is high. In those moments you must cut a bit of pressure.
"When the intensity is not high, I try to increase the intensity, to increase the tension and to warn about the danger of the game.
"'Pay attention because on Sunday we risk a lot if we have this concentration, this intensity, for example.
"It's important to be ready to fight. If we are a bit relaxed we risk to lose and that's a pity."
