Arguably no, but then we’re not necessarily looking for a starter in that position. Much like Ake, what we require from such players is greater mobility and solidity; we also need to ensure that the drop off from the starting player to replacement isn’t too great. Fernandinho, alas, can no longer perform to the required standard in midfield, so Luiz makes perfect sense at this juncture.
If you do get the opportunity to watch him more, you should focus on how he lays the ball off to colleagues, even whilst making tackles and challenges. He often puts the ball into space ahead of his teammate, which at first glance can look like a misplaced pass, as it can sometimes be close to an opponent, but when you watch more carefully you can see that it’s not a risk and that he’s actually putting the ball to where his colleague should already be. In that sense, he’s seeing the game way ahead of others on the pitch, and if he were surrounded by better players, the impact of that ability would be even greater.
During the times he has been with the club and played and trained, he has looked more than capable, which is presumably why we have a buy back in the first place, so for all those reasons it makes sense to bring him back now.
