Story via Caughtoffside
Two former Premier League players in David Luiz and Andreas Pereira left for Brazil, and as they begin their tenure with Flamengo, they’re drawing great reviews from pundits.
Former Arsenal and Chelsea defender David Luiz made his debut with the South American club against Barcelona S.C. in the Copa Libertadores semi-finals, where the 34-year-old featured 58 minutes. UOL Esporte relayed the comments made by several media members on Luiz and Pereira.
“I liked David Luiz yesterday, but I confess that I liked Andreas Pereira better,” Paulo Vinicius Coelho said. “But David Luiz was very secure. He’s very secure. He’s fast, has ball play, has a series of qualities that will improve Flamengo’s defensive system, which had problems yesterday.
“There was a lot of space. Flamengo crushed the ball. Barcelona in the 1st half, but left room, and Barcelona created opportunities, they could have scored 1-0. But David Luiz made a wonderful debut, I would say it made my mouth water.”
Also, Manchester United midfielder Pereira is another name Brazilian media are raving about as he hits the ground running with Flamengo.
Despite the limited minutes since Luiz hasn’t played a match since May, plenty of media members like what they saw from the right-back. Luiz won three of four aerial duels while making four clearances.
If Flamengo wants to win their second Copa Libertadores trophy in three years. In that case, it seems as though Luiz will play a significant role in helping the squad continue its dominance in South America and locally in the Brasileirão.
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