David Luiz is a Brazilian professional football player who plays for the Arsenal team and the Brazil National team. He is a defensive midfielder for the Arsenal team while he was also primarily a center back.
When football returned on our screens and stadiums last month in June, after the coronavirus pandemic lockdown, David Luiz did not quite get the memo as he trudged off the pitch, last time he played against Manchester City. The Brazilians had a nightmare match in June, at the Etihad Stadium as the game ended after only 26 minutes of action.
Luiz was brought as a substitute for the injured footballer Pablo Mari during the game. He messed up the opening goal before later conceding a penalty which resulted in him getting a red card.
David Luiz faced a lot of criticism:
After his massive errors during the last games, it left the Arsenal fans wondering if they would even see him in the red shirt again. It was no wrong to say that the team lost the match by 3-0 because David Luiz was at fault.
The former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said in an interview that, “I don’t think there’s any future for David Luiz at Arsenal next season, that probably just puts paid to that.”
“David Luiz is not good enough for Arsenal.”
The Brazilian defender was at rock bottom then, with being subject to so much criticism from pundits and fans. However, he proved everyone wrong at the next match.
Luiz’s incredible comeback:
The Manchester City VS Arsenal match this week at Wembley Stadium left all shocked as David Luiz demonstrated his skills. He hits off critics with an immense display of talent on the field. After some costly and high-profile mistakes, the Brazilian’s defensive qualities have been questioned but he proved everyone wrong with his fantastic comeback as he led the team to success with a win of 2-0, a shocking victory indeed.
It was an evening of redemption, starting the match for the Gunners and imposing him from the opening minute. His appearance was calm said that he looked like a completely different person from the last game at Etihad.
Despite all the doubters, David showed his confidence levels by sticking to the Arsenal’s game plan as well as playing defensive football out from the defensive line, leading the Arsenal team to win the semi-finals of the FA Cup. He threw himself into blocks and tackles sending the ball flying over the net after which he was hugged by his teammates as if he scored a goal.
David’s interview with BT Sport:
After all the excruciating criticism the footballer received last month, David Luiz spoke to Bt sports owning his mistakes and proudly declaring his success after he booked the team’s place in the FA Cup final following a 2-0 victory over Manchester City at Wembley Stadium. He said,
“There was a lot of criticism of me; I think you can say that. That’s a part of football. I understood during my career that part of football is about surviving.”
The humble Brazilian player further remarked that “Every day you’re going to defend your team, and the other people are going to support different teams. It’s about surviving. So that’s what I did.”
“I was working hard every single day after my mistakes. I took the blame; I was mature enough to understand that. I was also humble enough to work more for the team.”
“It was a great result against one of the best teams in the world. We were humble, we understood the way we had to play and we took the opportunities to score. We have to be mature to understand what level we are in the process. We have an amazing coach but we can’t go from 0 to 100.”
Opposition manager, Pep Guardiola pre-match conference:
Prior to the starting of the game, Guardiola told everyone that David Luiz should not be judged just on the basis of one calamitous evening in June. He told that he was confident that Luiz would shine tonight, He stated in his pre-match press conference that:
“I have incredible respect for him and for what he has done in his career. He is an exceptional player and has an incredible mentality and especially personality.”
“I laugh out loud when I hear the pundits. A lot of them were defenders and they didn’t make one mistake in their career even though they played for 15 to 20 years.”
He further added that “ I like that Luiz still plays football and I’m pretty sure he’s going to make a lot of good actions, some more mistakes as that’s part of the game. But he does it with dignity. I have a lot of respect for him.”
Arsenal’s Instagram post:
The Arsenal team showed their love and appreciation for David Luiz by sharing a post on their social media account with a short yet meaningful caption “Redemption” indicating his remarkable performance on Saturday despite all the criticism being thrown at him.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CC0V-6rn8xj/?igshid=1uvaq8bs32jmp
The fans replied to the post by saying, “This guy proved himself last night. Let’s see if he can carry this for the rest of the season and on to the next #coyg”
Another fan wrote, “Hope he keeps proving himself every game. I was one of the ones who doubted him. Glad he proved me wrong.”
Arsenal’s coach, Mickel Arteta hails the FA Cup hero:
A man learns from his mistakes indeed. The 33-year old footballer has a great picture of the club’s situation. He deserves all the praise that came his way as he made 11 clearances, four interceptions, and a crucial block to deny Raheem Sterling in the second half of the game.
Coach Mickel Arteta praised David Luiz by saying in an interview that,
“We all make mistakes. The way he has been training, helping each other, and performing, it’s been phenomenal. I am delighted that people can now see this side of him as well, and praise him because he deserves that.”
“What he needs is that we trust him, that we have no doubt in what he can do. The best way to do that is to make him play,” he added.
“I want him to perform on the pitch. He’s doing that again now ina really good way. I’m really happy for him today.”
