Chelsea FC: Why Luiz red card is a blessing in disguise

Chelsea FC: David Luiz received a red card against Arsenal after making a rash dangerous tackle meaning he’ll be out for three games. But his ban is a blessing in disguise.

Chelsea FC defender David Luiz has received a three match ban after a bad tackle on Sead Kolisinac but his ban will mean Danish center-back Andreas Christensen will get a chance to showcase his ability.

Andreas Christensen displayed his worth in Chelsea’s game against Spurs earlier on in the season when David Luiz was deployed in the midfield. Christensen showed exactly why he should be picked in that game after a dominant solid display in the center of defence.

The 21-year-old enjoyed a successful loan spell away for German Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach for two seasons and is deemed ready for the Blues squad after developing nicely there.

Christensen made 61 league appearances for the German club after proving his worth in the first team.

He also had an amazing pass success rate of 91.5% making him the third best in the Bundesliga in 2016/17 for passing (Whoscored).

Additionally, he’s improved on that pass rate this season, albeit only from 3 appearances and one start though, with a 94.4% pass success rate. The Danish defender simply does not lose the ball once he’s on it and looks up to pass. He will be a calming influence from the back when Chelsea FC travel to Stoke next week where I highly suspect he will start.

In fact, Conte admitted in an interview after the Arsenal game that Christensen will likely start in place of Luiz.

"“Christensen is a very young player but I think he is a good player and I trust him.“Now he has the possibility to play and now he has to prepare very well to play.”"

He also had an impressive performance against Quarabag in the Champions League where the Blues won 6-0.

His high passing success rate bodes well for his claim for the central center-back role in Chelsea’s back three. He’s calm and composed on the ball and is able to play out from the back with ease, making him the perfect replacement for David Luiz.

Chelsea’s recent disappointing 0-0 draw with Arsenal showed that they struggled to play out from the back when pressured and Luiz was unable to make any significant passes to free up the midfield. Christensen will be able to do this.

To be fair, Luiz has played fantastically for the Blues, but his ban will mean Christensen will be able to make a claim for a place in the first team. I believe it will be hard for Conte to drop him again once he’s shown what he can do.