David Luiz has enjoyed a characteristically eventful season. He is the object of voluble criticism every time he plays badly and November brought the unusual sight of the Brazilian defender arguing with a betting company on its Instagram feed after Chelsea lost to Spurs. His role in Bournemouth’s second goal in a 4-0 away defeat in January was also subjected to exhaustive (over-)analysis. And yet, come the end of the season, here he is: David Luiz has a new two-year contract at Stamford Bridge and is about to play the second Europa League final of his bifurcated Blues career.
The first, in 2013, was a poignant contest. David Luiz, then playing in a defensive midfield role, came up against Benfica, the team with whom he had made his name in Europe and who had sold him to Chelsea two years previously. “It was a difficult final,” he says now, “not just on the pitch but also emotionally. In the end we won so I was happy, though at the same time I was a bit sad because I had good friends at Benfica. But In football there can only be one winner.
“This is a totally different occasion,” he continues. “It’s a big derby, a big London derby, big opponents, a high-level rivalry.”
A year after lifting the trophy in Amsterdam, David Luiz left Chelsea for Paris St-Germain and a two-season spell as one of the marquee names at the nouveau riche club. At the end of his time at Parc de Princes he was coached by Unai Emery, the current Arsenal manager having joined the French club from Sevilla in 2016.
It was only a matter of weeks between Emery’s arrival and David Luiz’s return to Stamford Bridge but the player left an impression on his coach. The Spaniard publicly insisted he would rather have kept David Luiz. Last summer Emery was also rumoured to be ready to bring the player to the Emirates Stadium, after David Luiz had found himself out of the Chelsea reckoning under Antonio Conte.
It turns out the warm feeling is mutual and David Luiz is happy to wax on the subject of Emery. “I think Arsenal are doing great,” he says. “It is never easy to change, especially after the many years the ‘Mister’, Arsène Wenger, was there. Then Unai came to try to build a new philosophy and to try to gain the trust of the players, from the fans, from the club. I think he has been doing an amazing job.
“I had the opportunity to work with Unai for a few months. He’s a great guy, a great coach, a great person. He’s passionate. He loves his work. He likes to build teams who are spirited, play with passion and you can see that. He has had the opportunity to work with a lot of young players and I think they have understood his philosophy.
“In this competition especially he knows how to win. That’s why Arsenal are there, that’s why Unai is there. Again! That’s another thing we have to understand: We have to beat Unai as well as Arsenal in the final.”
David Luiz’s place in the Chelsea XI in Baku is certain, with Andreas Christensen or César Azpilicueta his likely partners as Antonio Rüdiger continues his recovery from a knee injury. The Brazilian’s position in the team is different from that of 2013 but his role has not changed altogether. What he was asked to do in midfield under Rafael Benítez – break up play and enable forward momentum through quick passing – he is now expected to do 15 yards further down the pitch.
Maurizio Sarri’s possession-heavy style suits David Luiz’s attributes and he feels vindicated by the way in which English football has come to meet him. “I love that,” he says. “It’s the evolution of football. I remember when I started, nobody wanted me to play the ball out from the back. Everybody wanted me to kick the ball long. It depended on the style of the coach but now everybody understands.
“The top six in the league in England, which has four teams in the European finals, they are all teams who play the ball out from the back, play a possession game, try to create. Football is all about gaining time: if you put the ball up in the air, you’re going to lose time. That’s why we try to build from the back, to give the players with the talent the time to receive the ball between the lines and make the difference.”
Now 32, David Luiz sees his role as not just feeding the “players with talent” but working with younger players. In that way, he says, he might be around long enough to play in more finals yet.
“Wanting to learn something every single day is what prolongs our working life,” he says. “In my job, any job, if we try to learn, we improve ourselves. Life is moving that way. All the kids now, in all different jobs, they are quicker than us, more creative, more speedy at understanding things. It’s up to us to realise that, to be humble.”