On Thursday, Antonio Conte confirmed that David Luiz was in line to make his second Chelsea debut in Friday’s Premier League match against Liverpool.
The message coming from the Chelsea boss prior to John Terry’s ankle injury against Swansea City last Sunday was one of patience and a period of adaptation when quizzed on when fans would see David Luiz back in a Chelsea shirt.
That message changed in Thursday’s press conference as Conte confirmed that Luiz would be in line to start the match against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge with captain Terry ruled out for a 10 day period.
Conte: David Luiz To Start Against Liverpool
‘Tomorrow, David Luiz will play for the first time with us and we are confident about him.’ explained Conte. ‘We expect him to play very well; we know he’s a good player. We are working to put him in the best condition to give us the best of him.’
‘When new players arrive they need time to adapt to a new concept but tomorrow we need to play David Luiz. He’s worked a lot on defensive situations and when we are in possession. I have confidence in him.’
[youtube]https://youtu.be/IFUfPNgIGKc[/youtube]
Friday night’s fixture will present a good test of Chelsea’s credentials. A fighting spirit has been shown so far this term, with Chelsea demonstrating comebacks against Watford and Swansea to secure points from games that last year would have likely ended in defeat.
The attitude and willingness shown by players to work hard for the collective cause was evident in Conte’s response to a question about Cesc Fabregas’s position at the club:
‘Cesc is in my plan, in Chelsea’s plan. We all know he is a fantastic player. If he continues in this way in training it is difficult for me to make the choice. I want this from my player.’
A fascinating contest lies in wait tomorrow evening at Stamford Bridge, with both sides having begun the season strongly and in good form. Neither manager will want to lose early ground but with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool showing pace and rawness in attack against Conte’s new look Blues, it is shaping up to be an enthralling match.
Main image credit:
