Arsenal: David Luiz’s best and worst Gunners moments

David Luiz was a unique figure at Arsenal. In truth he’s been a unique figure across the footballing world ever since he came to England. After two seasons donning the red and white, both parties have decided to cut their ties in the summer and bid farewell.

Good riddance or sorrowful departure?

When the Brazilian walks off London Colney for the final time, he is the kind of player who will smack the loose football onto the crossbar from the halfway line then trip over a rake and smack himself in the face. Eight times.

Unbeknownst to Gennaro Gattuso, he sums up the central defender best of all.

David Luiz’s best and worst Arsenal moments with Brazilian set to leave Gunners this season

It speaks volumes of the calibre of options at Arsenal when the player who the club lambasted for being signed to a new 12-month deal turned out to be the best option all season long.

Carrying an injury and unlikely to play again this season comes as a real shame. Not because Arsenal sorely need him for gigantic Premier League showdowns with Crystal Palace and Brighton, but because he won’t be able to add to the forthcoming list.

The writing was on the wall for Luiz at the latter end of his Chelsea career. While humiliation at the hands of Germany in the 2014 World Cup was not all his doing, some of the clangers he dropped donning blue certainly were. In 2018/19 he directly contributed to eight of the 11 goals Chelsea conceded at the beginning of the season.

Naturally he was the perfect fit for Arsenal.

The clown of chaos will bid farewell to England in July, so to honour his time with the Gunners, what better way than to reminisce about the very worst, and the very best, of Luiz in his two years? Starting with the bad…

David Luiz’s Anfield Brain Fart

Two games. Just two games into his Arsenal career and any hopes that the Brazilian had turned a corner and pastures new would evoke the Luiz of yesteryear were put to bed.

Going to Anfield is never easy, not least for Arsenal, but Luiz’s moronic tendencies were in full flow as he tugged on Mohamed Salah’s shirt as it was the closest he could get to him all afternoon, giving away a needless penalty. Maybe he wanted to swap shirts? Either way, a ridiculous foul to make at the best of times but even worse moments after the second half began.

But it got better(?). Later he bizarrely committed to a halfway challenge on the Egyptian, making himself look an utter fool as the forward glided his way towards goal to finish the game off.

A Horror Show At Watford

Arsenal were winning this game 2-0. After the Baku debacle and with new signings in the squad, it was possible that Unai Emery had began to find some sort of winning formula. The results lied, and this was the beginning of the end.

Luiz didn’t help.

Another farcical penalty giveaway to add to his collection, he dangled out a leg in the box that Roberto Pereyra couldn’t miss. A toll booth, of sorts, only that you’re paid, not charged, in penalties. Luiz was very giving in that sense.

Watford equalised and should have won.

Stamford Bridge Red Card Nightmare

David Luiz, back at Chelsea, with Shkodran Mustafi to his side.

What could possibly go wrong? Answer: everything.

His first time back in west London other than to oversee his restaurant in Mayfair (probably), Arsenal found themselves under intense Blues pressure with cracks starting to appear. Naturally those came in defence, where Mustafi decided he couldn’t wait for Luiz to drop a clanger so he opted to speed up the process.

A hideous backpass was pounced upon by Tammy Abraham, leaving Luiz to do all the work himself. He absolutely was thrown under the bus by the German, but his decision to take Abraham out from behind with Mustafi on the goal-line made little sense.

He got his marching orders, conceded a penalty and received a three-game ban while Arsenal somehow ended up drawing the game without him.

Manchester City Meltdown

Aspirations of an unlikely surge into the top four when football resumed for the first time since the COVID-19 break should have been put to bed when the team sheet came out.

Taking on City at the Etihad, Luiz grabbed himself a brace of assists on a total meltdown in Manchester.

Kevin De Bruyne’s attempted to cross into the box was easy to clear but Luiz somehow made a hash of it, wildly swinging with his thigh. It should’ve been an easy clearance but instead it bounced ever so kindly to Raheem Sterling to slam home.

Then shortly after the break, Luiz fancied another African forward’s shirt in his collection as he was rinsed for pace by Riyad Mahrez, before tugging the Algerian’s jersey in the box instead of doing literally anything else, handing him another red card and giving away another penalty.

He was given a new 12-month deal not long after.

Regular Stupidity on the Ball

Not a specific incident per se, but Luiz had a penchant for trying elaborate skills and touches in possession where he clearly was caught day dreaming about his 14-year-old self on one of Brazil’s beautiful beaches.

Trying to nutmeg someone with no covering defender or seeking to feint past an opposition player when any over-stretching of his legs would result in him being in crutches, he had his fair share of infuriating moments.

He isn’t the only Arsenal player guilty of idiocy.

However, while merely a pre-season fixture, none epitomised his lack of focus better than when Brentford came to the Emirates Stadium in the summer of 2020.

Practically on the halfway line, Luiz, who was 33 years old at the time and is a central defender, thought it would be wise to try and dink the ball over someone 14 years his junior and race onto the pass in the hope of opening up the play in front of him. There are fridges that turn quicker.

The young Bees player had already won back possession by the time Luiz turned around, and they raced clear towards goal and scored in that passage.

Quintessential David Luiz.

David Luiz’s Best Moments for Arsenal

Such a polarizing figure.

It’s not even fair to refer to Luiz as marmite because with marmite your opinion remains untouched. No revisionism.

In his case, one week he’d have you ripping your hair out and the next you’d be counting your lucky stars his experience was there in the heart of defence. This season has illustrated it clearer than the previous that what he brings to the team no other player in the squad can offer.

On his day, his distribution is a sight to behold. No hyperbole as we recollect about his time in red and white, it genuinely was among the best to find in central defenders on the continent.

As is the case with error-prone footballers, the howlers they produce always become the focal talking point. They stick out more than his curly locks next to Rob Holding. However hard it may be, peel back the deficiencies and when selecting the Arsenal Team of the Season he’s in there. Fairly comprehensibly.

The time has come to move on, however. This is a rebuild. Hopefully a serious one. That means tearing out the floorboards, regardless of how new they may be, and installing durable replacements.

Was Luiz worth the £8m and excruciating experience of watching him play 70% (or whatever it may be) of the time? The negatives on the pitch will outweigh the positives, on balance.

Set up a defense for Arsenal winning the 2020 FA Cup without him, however, and you’re losing that battle in court. His role in that trophy lift is undeniable.

As a presence off the pitch we read stories of the adoration for him among his teammates and there is absolutely nothing to suggest they’re false. Every player speaks so highly of the 34-year-old and each interview he gives is an illustration of the honest and warm man he is.

His skillset will need replacing and there is no doubt of that, yet Luiz is not the ceiling Arsenal should have. They need better than him being the best centre-back at the club. The time has come for positive change, not just change itself.

Put it this way, the training ground will miss him more than the football pitch.

Obrigado, David. Adeus.