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Chelsea’s David Luiz – The Man To Thwart Arsenal This Weekend

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As the results everywhere else went in their favour during the midweek round of fixtures, Chelsea were denied a chance to take a huge 11-point lead at the top of the Premier League, thanks to a weak penalty by their in-form striker Diego Costa. While the Blues will have walked away happy from their 1-1 stalemate against Liverpool at Anfield, it leaves the tiniest of the windows for the chasing clubs to catching up to the league leaders ahead of what could be a pivotal fixture coming our way this weekend.

Arsenal, who are two places and nine points behind Chelsea, visit the Stamford Bridge this weekend. After ending their poor run of results against the leaders back in September at the Emirates, the Gunners will be hoping to do the double over Antonio Conte’s side for the first time since way back in the 2003/04 season.

After a disappointing 2-1 loss at home to Watford in the midweek, the confidence and the morale of the team will be on the lower side, but the fact that they beat the champions-elect triumphantly by a margin of 3-0, earlier in the season, could act as a catalyst for Arsene Wenger’s charges. However, it was that defeat, that spurred Conte to change his side’s setup to the 3-4-3, post which the Blues have been close to untouchable.

The defeat at the Emirates saw Chelsea fall eight points behind then leaders Manchester City and it looked like it would be another season of shortcomings and lost hopes and nobody would have envisaged them to return to the top spot, let alone take a daunting nine-point lead. However, the change in the way the team set up has reaped plenty of rewards for the West Londoners. Since the loss to the Gunners, Chelsea have won 15 of their 17 Premier League games and lost just once. In that brilliant run of games, Conte’s side have conceded just seven times and as a result, have the best defensive record in the league, shipping in just 16 strikes, along with Tottenham.

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While every member of the squad has stood up and performed, the contribution of David Luiz cannot be underestimated. His smart set-piece goal against Liverpool on Tuesday was his first upon his return to Stamford Bridge earlier this season and seventh Premier League goal in total. A transfer that had been laughed upon, that had been branded a last-minute panic buy with Chelsea failing to capture their primary targets Leonardo Bonucci and Kalidou Koulibaly, the Brazilian has stunned everyone with his brilliance.

The 29-year old has managed to silence the critics and has shown why Chelsea went back for him. Often criticized for his overzealousness at the back, Luiz has displayed what he is capable of and proven all his doubters wrong this term. A WhoScored.com rating of 7.17 may not be the highest, but is quite a respectable return. Since Chelsea’s change in the setup and formation to a 3-4-3, Luiz’s WhoScored.com rating goes only slightly up to 7.21, but for someone who has been criticized so heavily over the years, the consistency and the maturity that he has shown this season, goes on to show how far the Brazilian has come since his previous stint at the Bridge.

Playing in the middle of the three-man defence, Luiz has had to worry less about his defensive duties, with the knowledge that Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta are available to cover for him if needed, which has allowed the Brazilian to push forward and unleash his range of passing and distribution. Luiz currently averages the third most accurate long balls per game (4.5) among all his peers at Chelsea. And his willingness to step out from the back also allows him to nip the opponents’ attacks in the bud, having made an average of 1.7 interceptions per game, which is also one of the best among the Chelsea squad.

Key man Luiz can ensure Chelsea end Arsenal's title hopes

Only two teams concede fewer shots per game than Chelsea (8.4) in the English top-flight this season, shedding a light on the impact Luiz has had upon his return. And he will have to be on the top of his game come weekend, considering the fact that Arsenal have scored the most number of away goals this term (27). Luiz will most likely be going head-to-head against Alexis Sanchez, who has been one of the best attackers in the league this season, having already netted 15 times for the Gunners along with 8 assists to his name.

As per the ratings on WhoScored.com Alexis is the best player in the Premier League this season (7.89) and will need to be kept in check if Chelsea are to get a favourable result at home. And with Azpilicueta and Cahill in support, Luiz will be afforded the opportunity to step out and thwart the 28-year old Chilean from getting a sniff at Thibaut Courtois’ goal.

Upon Luiz’s return to Chelsea in the summer, Antonio Conte said, “He has good characteristics to become a fantastic defender in the world.” The Italian felt that he could turn Luiz into a better defender and has been true to his statement, turning the Brazilian into a rock-solid performer, showing why Chelsea brought him back from Paris. And another typically strong display on Saturday will further vindicate the Blues’ decision and silence the naysayers while helping his team tighten the stranglehold at the top of the table.