Does the arrival of David Luiz mean Chelsea will play in Antonio Conte's favoured 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 formation?
An injury to John Terry means that the veteran will miss Chelsea's home game against Liverpool on Friday which will pave the way for David Luiz to make his debut since returning. The 29-year-old returned to Stamford Bridge after spending two trophy-laden years at PSG on the transfer deadline day in a deal around £30 million after selling him for a whopping £50 million back in 2014 to the French champions.
Many have doubted this decision to bring the defender back at a huge price as he still has the faults which earlier had made the club sell him. Luiz, though a fan favourite at Chelsea, has a knack of making crucial errors at crucial times like one he did recently against PSG's defeat to Monaco. The Blues might have seen him as the last resort after failing to land the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly and Allessio Romagnoli this summer.
Positives from signing the Brazilian will be that he knows the league well and understands the expectations from Chelsea supporters and has always been a crowd favourite. The most important aspect in signing is that he will give Conte an option to try his favoured formation and also his ability to play in defensive midfield can be useful if injuries occur in the season ahead.
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Conte himself has mentioned that this Chelsea squad can now play 3-5-2 or 3-4-3 like his previous teams like Juventus and Italy National team had played in the past. The arrival of David Luiz for £34 million and Marcos Alonso for £23 million has strengthened the Blues defence which looked bleak at the start of the season. Kurt Zouma too will return this season after a long knee injury as the Blues will need to adapt to different systems that Conte prefers.
Conte's main priority is having control over the game as he is an extremely adaptive manager. From Italy's games in Euros, we can take a look at how Chelsea might line up after the arrival of David Luiz. Italy played a 3-5-2 when they had possession of the ball but quickly transitioned into a 4-4-2 with a fullback coming to the back line and one of the three central defenders occupying the other flank.
John Terry, Gary Cahill, and David Luiz are capable of playing in a three-man defense though none of them have prior experience of playing in this system. If an injury happens to either one of them, Marcos Alonso can fill the left centre back spot as he has prior experience of playing as a central defender. Branislav Ivanovic and Cesar Azpilicueta have enough steam in them to operate as fullbacks which have always been an important aspect of Conte's strategies.
Chelsea lacked a ball playing defender after Conte's arrival which will be solved by the 29-year-old Brazilian. Conte had the enigmatic Leonardo Bonucci at Juventus and Italy who became a deep lying playmaker in Andrea Pirlo's absence. In a 3-4-3, now at Chelsea, Luiz's ability to come forward with the ball can prove effective as his long balls to Eden Hazard and Willian on the wings can make the transition from defense to attack quickly.
Also with Luiz at the back, it will help the fullbacks to stretch the defense and increase Chelsea's number in midfield. Chelsea can also play 3-5-2 with Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi as the strikers with Eden Hazard in the hole. But it will mean that one of Willian or Oscar will have to be content with a place on the bench as the duo have impressed since Conte's arrival.
Talking about the new signing, Conte had stated earlier, "I think David Luiz is a centre back, he's played a lot of games in that position. I know sometimes he's played as a central midfielder but in my mind, the idea is to utilise him in the right position which, for me, is centre-back. He's played with Chelsea previously and he will bring a good personality."
Luiz after his arrival to London said, "I have tried to improve and mature day by day. When you try new things of course you improve, that's why I tried a new league. "The coach, Conte loves football, that's why he's a passionate guy on the bench, celebrating and supporting the team. He's a specialist in tactics and training in a tactical way, I'm excited to learn under him."
Though Luiz has stated he is ready to play anywhere for the Blues, Conte has made it clear that he sees Luiz as a centre back and is going to implement the Brazilian besides Cahill against Liverpool on Friday. The Brazilian won two European trophies in his last spell at the club as this stint with the Blues might be his last chance to play at a big club like Chelsea.