STAMFORD BRIDGE is clearly not big enough for the two of them.
By the time next season kicks off, I’m sure that either Antonio Conte or David Luiz will have left Chelsea.
Personally, I don’t believe Conte will still be in West London this time next year — you can tell by his demeanour that something is wrong. I’d be happy to eat humble pie if I’m wrong — and there’s part of me that will be pleased if I am because I’ve a lot of respect for the guy. But if he does cling on to his job in West London then it’s hard to see Luiz being part of his plans.
I don’t see the Brazilian being the kind of guy who will be happy to sit on the bench or in the stands. And it could very quickly become another problem for Conte if he does. Whether it was the manager or owner Roman Abramovich who decided to bring Luiz back from Paris Saint-Germain last summer — it was against the better judgment of a lot of people. But he’s proved a lot of people wrong and was a massive part in Chelsea winning the Premier League last season. Conte came up with a system that worked with N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic in front of Luiz providing the protection, plus Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta alongside him. It was like giving him a suit of armour with all those players around him. Yet they have looked shaky in the two recent Champions League games against Roma, as well as the home win over Watford.
There’s also been talk about Luiz performing poorly in training and now Conte has shown him who is the boss by dropping him for one of their biggest games of the season, against Manchester United. It’s a gamble — particularly as we know he is one of Abramovich’s favourites — but on Sunday’s evidence he got it right as Andreas Christensen did really well.
Something has changed with Conte this season, you can tell that just by looking at him when he talks to the media. Last season he was forthright, full of smiles and his broken English was quite endearing. Now he’s sitting back, solemn-faced and swearing at people. He doesn’t look like a man you should cross. And Luiz knows that now. The Italian has proved before that no matter what standing you think you may have at a club, he is not afraid to make the big decisions. We saw the way he dealt with Diego Costa in the summer — his goals record counted for nothing in the end. Chelsea can afford to go out and buy the best and they will do that again if they have to. So Luiz needs to be careful. Something has clearly happened between Luiz and Conte. If it’s an attitude problem then he has a lot of work to do and plenty to think about. Because any manager who comes in to replace Conte will spot that a mile off.
From The Sun
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