?David Luiz’s dropping by Antonio Conte over the weekend was one of the main talking points surrounding Chelsea as they prepared to take on Manchester United in what turned out to be a remarkable display.
The Blues emerged 1-0 winners, keeping a clean sheet with the Brazilian defender watching on in plain clothes, perhaps showing that there was merit in Conte’s decision – as the Londoners have found shutouts hard to come by this season.
According to ?The Times, the Brazilian believes that Conte’s treatment is as a result of his friendship with former teammate Diego Costa. Luiz is reported as having tried to play the role of peacemaker between the manager and striker after Costa revealed that he was sent a text by Conte telling him that he was surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.
Luiz, a fan favourite since his first stint at the club, was made to train on his own ahead of the win on Sunday after supposedly questioning the Italian’s tactics during a training session.
Conte is said to have laid into his players following the embarrassment in Italy at the hands of Roma last week. And while Luiz did not react negatively to the manager’s dressing down, he was made a pariah in the following session and wasn’t even named on the bench against United.
The defender reported in at Cobham for treatment on his knee on Tuesday, his day off, but is said to be fearful for his future at Chelsea as Conte did not guarantee that he would be back in the squad for future games.
Per the report in The Times, Luiz is worried that his affiliation with the combustible Costa may be a factor in Conte’s decision. While Willian, another of Costa’s friends, has seen his minutes cut drastically as well.
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