He's back! Relive David Luiz's best 7 Chelsea FC goals
David Luiz is back in Chelsea blue! Whether you like it or not, this seems like a good time to relive seven of his best Blues goals. There are some crackers.
Is the screaming over?
Look, Chelsea’s chase of a center-back has been well-documented from the first seconds of July (when, by the way, they seemed more fixated on Radja Nainggolan) until the very last ones of August. While Kalidou Koulibaly is still with Napoli, Leonardo Bonucci still with Juventus, Alessio Romagnoli still with AC Milan, and Stefan de Vrij still with Lazio (I spy a theme) we scurried to bring home the mercurial David Luiz.
Once the tears stop, it’s good to realize that we had some pretty good moments with Luiz. We won a Champions League with him next to Gary Cahill, that was fun. Luiz played all 120-minutes against Bayern Munich and nailed his penalty after Juan Mata missed (before you look it up, Bayern’s 83rd minute goal was Ashley Cole’s fault). Of his 11 goals for Chelsea, 4 came against the Manchesters. That’s also fun.
So let’s not forget to remember the good times, because for every error you’re presently recalling, there’s also a gem.
Luiz penalty against Bayern Munich (2012)
So many of you may complain that this is not a proper goal, since it was in a penalty shoot-out. From a technical point of view, you are correct, but stop being such a bore. There was no way we could leave out this thunderbolt of a strike.
Let’s set the scene because it may makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. After taking the lead in their own stadium, Bayern Munich were pegged back and forced into extra time. Petr Cech then saved an Arjen Robben penalty in the extra period and we headed to a shootout.
Didier Drogba would take the winning penalty, but this wonderful effort from Luiz helped set the tone.
Luiz’s placed finish against Bayer Leverkusen (2011)
David Luiz is a man often associated with powerful, swerving and dipping shots. This effort against Bayer Leverkusen showed that he had finesse to his offensive game as well.
In the early part of that eventually glorious 2011/12 campaign, Andre Villas Boas was in charge. Leverkusen were the first opponents for the Blues in the Champions League that season and they defeated them 2-0.
Juan Mata finished off the scoring in second-half stoppage time, but David Luiz got the ball rolling with this sumptuous right-footed effort. He started the move by carrying the ball towards the box, then he finished Fernando Torres’ lay-off expertly.
Luiz’s free kick goal versus Nordsjaelland (2012)
Yes Nordsjaelland is Nordsjaelland, but this goal didn’t copy the motive of the Aston Villa goal you will soon see. This was about Luiz hitting a shot that had more of his DNA than it would if he birthed it.
Using his flat side-foot technique, he whacked the ball perfectly – he is Brazilian after all. It’s not until the flight of the ball becomes clearer that you realize what he had conjured well before the ball left his boot.
Spinning not quite right, not quite left, the trajectory leaves the keeper rooted. As he begins to slide to his near post, the ball kisses the inside of it and caroms behind him and into the goal. Unpredictability, audacity, and technique: doesn’t get more Luiz than that.
Luiz’s volley versus Manchester United (2011)
Neutral readers may not find this goal as exciting as the others. But this is a Chelsea site, and this goal was against Manchester United as part of a comeback to become one of the only four teams the Red Devils lost to that season.
It’s yet again David Luiz popping up out of nowhere to do something that he shouldn’t be in position, or have the instincts, to do. With an onrushing Patrice Evra, Luiz set his body shape to hit a volley. Before Evra could make contact Luiz had connected sweetly, driving the ball into the turf.
A tenth of a second later and he’d have hit the ball into Evra’s torso. Instead, the ball skidded off the turf like it had been fired from a cannon, spinning behind the near post and leaving Edwin Van der Sar with no job to do other than admire…oh and retrieve the ball.
Luiz’s free kick goal versus Aston Villa (2012)
This was the third goal that would eventually be just one of eight the Villans conceded that day. To be fair, if this happens in the 29th minute, when you’re already down 2-0…you can be sure the rest of the day only gets worse.
Chelsea were in rampant form, but this goal by Luiz was a statement: We’re better than you and there’s nothing you can do about it, in fact, we’re going to let our center-back whip a 25-yard free kick by your keeper. Good day, lads
Luiz’s first-time curler versus Basel (2013)
This is one of those goals that’s just silly. Chelsea’s goal-collecting midfielder Frank Lampard crossed in front of Luiz and laid the ball off. Many a lovely Chelsea goal begins this way – shoutout to Michael Essien – and the Brazilian played his part, whipping the ball first-time with his weaker foot.
The ball flew into the air and looked sure to go wide, until about three-quarters into its flight when physics tapped it on the shoulder. With instruction direct from a law of our natural world, the ball hit the brakes and took a nosedive under the bar and into the net.
Luiz’s rocket versus Fulham (2013)
I remember this match well. Before narrowly beating Sunderland 2-1 ten days before the Fulham match, Chelsea were enduring a rough patch. The prior eleven games resulted in only five Chelsea wins and two draws, the rest were losses. Like, 0-1 to Queens Park Rangers and 3-2 to Newcastle United type losses.
Chelsea were knocking the ball about and failing to find a way through the Fulham defense. Teams packed in and Chelsea predictably passed the ball from one side of the box to the other. About 29 minutes into the game, the commentator said that it’s going to take someone doing something special for Chelsea. He started going through the list of stars most likely to produce it: Eden Hazard, Frank Lampard…before he could name another – BANG.
Hazard rolled the ball across midfield. Ramires chose to let it roll beyond him and into the space Luiz had drifted into. The space Luiz had drifted into was about forty yards from goal, and he was a defender, so no-one in a Fulham shirt was within 12 yards.
Luiz pushed the ball ahead with his right, revved up and exploded into the back of the sphere. It was a bullet. In fact the only reason it dipped below the bar was because it was hit from so far away.
Who knows if Antonio Conte truly wanted David Luiz or was faced with the ultimatum of this or nothing. Who knows if Conte can corral Luiz’s tendencies enough to make him a solid member of a title-winning defense. Who knows how this ends with David Luiz, precedent isn’t in his favor. But Luiz is a bit of a figure in Chelsea folklore, a more athletic CB than we’ve had on the roster since Kurt Zouma went down, and a player whose erratic decisions sometimes lead to the magnificent. It’s certainly not all bad.
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