Luiz will make a better DMC

[Dec 33]

I have been watching Luiz for some time with me thinking about his position and if he is better as a DMC than DC and each time he plays it seems to not only reinforce my opinion but get stronger.

Now I would like to clarify I am not the biggest Mikel fan and have been wanting a replacement for a while, but the Liverpool game was the tip of the iceberg for me and proves how his Makalele role doesn't suit him due to his movement, reactions, position, passing and stamina.

The way we line up now under AvB is very reminiscent of a certain Barcelona with him stating he looks up to Guardiola. I too see the tactic the way forward with Mata-Drogba-Sturridge up front and as proved against Bayer Leverkusen this can be very fluid, however I do not agree with the high line as it doesn't suit Terry's strengths. If we drop this high line then I think it could work better on the team and interestingly the defensive partnership that has kept the most clean sheets happens to be Terry and Alex.

Now onto Luiz...with the defensive partnership in mind you have to look at his play to see that his surging runs are a threat but so much so that in the Premier League he leaves a big hole that can be exploited and is exploited by strikers. For me I feel these runs from a DMC position with his passing, movement and vision can be dangerous to any team and give us a bit of unpredictablility that is similar to the way Essien plays but with a more of a playmaker feel to it. Now I realise this will mean Merieles/Ramires playing on a double pivot with him (meaning he goes forward and they cover) but that is something that could work effectively as he links up with Lampard, Mata and Sturridge or even go for goal himself in the way Essien does.

Not only this but sometimes he commits silly fouls and with his he won't be the last man and risk a sending off as often and also have support behind him to sweep up anything he misses as he provides the attributes that Mikel doesn't.

Now I was planning to show you a lot of heat maps to prove my points but decided against it as all you need to do is watch a video of him compared to a video of Luiz to see how effective he is with his passing, tackling and forward runs. I feel this is the only way to play a great player without risking as much as we do at the moment and also getting rid of our weakest link at the same time.

What do you guys think?

[Spike 12,049]

Defensive Midfield Centre? Sorry, I just want thing to be clear.

[Badboy 1,526]

Nah he is too eager to play in midfield in my opinion, i just think you are clutching at straws mate. We need someone clever in that role who can read the game someone like m'villa would be perfect.

[Madmax 9,219]

[Tomo 21,751]

i really cannot be royally fucked to go into detail as i have over a million times but no it wont work he is fine at CB.

[Dec 33]

Yes a defensive midfield centre (too much FM ).

Clever maybe but the way I see it is he has the stamina and tackling/marking. It is an easy transition in my opinion if we make Ramires/Merieles go on a double pivot with him.

Intrestingly another option is De Rossi who is on a Bosman in January as he wants £150k p/w but Man City are sniffing around him.

I agree he is fine but some of the runs and balls he has played have been genius and if we can exploit that to our advantage and give us an air of unpredictablity without the risks he gives at DC then why not?

[manpe 10,861]

Not THIS thread again As I've gone through this topic many times already, I will say shortly: I don't agree

[Kojo 4,676]

We might be able to use him, as we need some spark at the moment definitely, but i have to disagree with it, because we take him out of defence who do we have to replace him?, pretty much no one.

[Kez 2,727]

You should go and read the other threads that have discussed this issue several times. He's a CB and that's where he will be staying.

[KamikazeBlue 337]

I hav posted this earlier.we hv had enuf discussions..

"For all those who say luiz could be a good DM....

I think his forward runs have made people think that he'd make a great midfielder by default, but I disagree after seeing Phil jones performance against scousersbecause in my opinion, the thing that allows him to make those runs out of defence is that as soon as he steps out of defence, he gives us a man advantage in the opposition half. That's because the striker isn't going to track back and follow him all the way back. That means that he is given a free run in the opposition half as confusion arises among the defending team and nobody knows who's supposed to pick him up and track the run.

When he plays in midfield he's going to be up against an opposing midfielder who will mark and track him, and therefore his surging runs will be much tougher to pull off when he plays in midfield and has a man on him all the time."

[KamikazeBlue 337]

and i dont think his ball control and shielding is better than mikel's.passing may be. but it is not wat we want.

[Dec 33]

Apologies if there is other discussions. I did look in the first page and didn't see anything.

To replace him in DC we have Ivanovic who against Leverkusen looked like a third DC and left his man totally for their first goal. I personally think this is up to personal preference, I don't see Mikel as a great player and Luiz in DC has his pros and cons however I see Luiz as more of a powerhouse in the mold of Essien but with creative passing too.

[LDN Blue 7,903]

He's improving each game.

His discipline is growing, as is his concentration. He's learning from his mistakes and he's adapting well to this league. Give him time.. André trusts him, so should we.

[Dec 33]

I trust him and think he is a brilliant player, however I do not think Mikel is and would rather see Luiz, Terry and Alex even if it is in a 541 formation than play Mikel.

[Wilson 358]

Ummm .......NO HE FUCKING WOULDNT!!!!