Conte: I can turn Luiz into top defender

Luiz has divided opinion ever since Chelsea first signed him from Benfica nearly six years ago, and Jose Mourinho sold him to Paris Saint Germain in 2014.

“I know Antonio Conte very well”, he said.

“We reached our targets, David Luiz and Marcos Alonso are two good signings for us”, Conte told Chelsea TV.

“Now we have to work on the defensive situation, on the defensive line”.

A great defender must be able to play football and defend, but the coach must improve his players. “He faces life the right way”, said Conte.

Chelsea pulled off the shock £32million move on the final day of the transfer window despite reservations about the defensive side of the 29-year-old’s game. “Every player until the end of their career can improve”, the Chelsea manager reflected. I’m not afraid about this.

“I started playing three at the back with Vitoria in Brazil, but it doesn’t matter where, I want to help and when I am in the team I am there to try to help”, he said.

“If he must improve in some aspects, I’m here for this reason – to improve my players”.

I am very happy he is a here.

Luiz opted to leave Paris Saint-Germain after two full seasons in Ligue 1 to be part of Conte’s revolution at Chelsea, and he is looking forward to building on their unbeaten start to 2016-17. The teams he manages play with his characteristics – they play like he used to play. You put your sweat into it. “For this reason we bought Luiz”.

Conte has been widely tipped to eventually make the change, having favoured a back three rather than four during his spells in charge of Juventus and the Italian national team. No good.’ But I started to work with them, I found great commitment and attitude. But if you remember in my first year in Juventus it wasn’t so.

Luiz is a natural ball-player and Conte sees a comparison with Bonucci, who Manchester City and Manchester United both tried to sign this summer.

“He has good technique and personality like Leonardo Bonucci, Bonucci likes to play football”. It’s important. If it happens that, during a game, a player loses concentration, I don’t like this.

“We have to work to improve our physical condition, our tactical condition and to try to continue our good season”.

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“When we take the decision about the players, we always take the decision together – me and the club”, Conte said.