Mikel and Luiz

When Chelsea lined up against Monterrey on Thursday in a Fifa Club World Cup semi-final match, Mikel Obi and David Luiz were paired in the defensive midfield and Chelsea won 3-1. “It was a bit of a shock to see David [Luiz] lining up there,’ Obi told the Guardian of London. “I said to him as we got on to the pitch: “Where shall I play?”

“He said he’d play the holding role and that I should go forward. I said OK but, when the game started, I looked up and he was already up their end of the pitch.”

And Luiz, a defender by trade gave a good showing though his midfield partner is not too convinced that it should become a permanent move. In the first minutes of the match, Luiz played two defence splitting passes to Eden Hazard and Juan Mata. “David [Luiz] is a great player, but I don’t know if this is going to be a long-term thing.

“I think he needs to play at the back. It was a good performance from him – he kept the ball well and played it well – but when it’s not your normal position you sometimes lose something. He is a great player and a strong character that can only get better for this club. He keeps going and doing his thing. Fair play to him,” Obi added.