The famous London derby has been famous for producing some memorable matches. In recent history, Chelsea have had the upper hand in terms of victories. However, Arsenal have produced the occasional surprise as well. The recent 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge was a game of controversy. It was a throwback to the physical and unpleasant side of rivalries.
David Luiz’s sending off continued a trend of players getting sent off in the games’ history.The Brazilian defender caught Gunners defender Sead Kolasinac with his studs and was shown a straight red. Referee Michael Oliver had shown him a yellow before in the game.
However, he chose to give him a straight red this time.Former Blues coach and player Ray Wilkins was critical of David Luiz’s tackle. He had his say on the red-card decision while speaking to talkSPORT.
David Luiz ‘wet himself’ scared of Kolasinac
The Brazilian’s performance was shaky at times in the game. Towards the end, rather than maintaining his composure, Luiz lost it. He had already been booked before by the referee. However, he was frustrated by Alexis Sanchez‘s attempts to keep the ball. As a result, he flew into the tackle against Kolasinac, something he could’ve avoided easily.
Arsene Wenger on David Luiz: "It looked excessive force to me, at what level did he catch Kolasinac? I don't know." pic.twitter.com/GhcP7vYg4F
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) September 17, 2017
Wilkins spoke about David Luiz’s tackle and believes he meant no real harm. However, he also thinks that Luiz shied away from a tussle with the Bosnian defender. He said,”It was an atrocious tackle. He either wants to hurt Kolasinac, or he’s afraid. I’ll go for the latter”.
Kolasinac was fair in his approach towards the ball. However, it was Luiz, whose intentions weren’t fair and Wilkins thought the same. He said,”Kolasinac went to the floor, his boots never came off the ground, he just went for the ball.”
Describing Luiz’s mindset before making the tackle, Wilkins said, “He saw him coming towards him and thought, ‘wow, this fella is a giant’ and he basically wet himself.”
What now for David Luiz and Chelsea?
A straight red means that the Brazilian will now miss three games for the Blues. He shouldn’t be missed for the cup tie against Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup. However, his absence will certainly be felt in the league games against Mark Hughes’ Stoke City and Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Thankfully Antonio Conte has enough men at his disposal to play instead of the 30-year-old. Still, Luiz’s unorthodox abilities as a defender bring something extra to the game and he will certainly be missed against City, which will be a big test for the Blues and their credentials for the season.
Chelsea have had a player sent off in each of their last three games vs. Arsenal.
Victor Moses
Pedro
David Luiz pic.twitter.com/ob9liio0m2— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 17, 2017
Author’s Take
Luiz’s tackle deserved a red, there’s little to question that. However, the tackle puts a greater question toward’s the player’s mindset in big games. A derby is where you want to show your best form. But David Luiz never did that and was shown red for not being his best self on an important day for his team.
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