Luiz aims to silence critics

Chelsea defender David Luiz says he has been moved by criticism of his performances, but is determined to prove his doubters wrong.

The Brazilian, who has come under fire for clumsy performances in the past, is with the Chelsea squad in Japan as they look to put a disruptive season behind them in the FIFA Club World Cup.

“At a big club when you have bad moments sometimes, you need to be strong,” Luiz told The Daily Mirror.

“No one likes criticism. It’s natural. It gets to you and you don’t like it. I’m not happy about it and I do care because this is my job.

“You ask yourself, ‘Why are they saying this? I tried my best, why can’t they see I’m trying?’

“So you can have these moments where you’re down, but you can’t let them last long. They have to pass.

“If you can’t take that, work at another job.”

The 25-year-old’s displays have seen former Manchester United defender and television pundit Gary Neville describe the former Benfica man’s performances as if he were ‘controlled by a 10-year-old on a Playstation’, but Luiz thinks he is only singled out as he plays for a high-profile club.

“If I played for a club in the middle of the table, I could make mistakes in games, three or four times, and no one would notice because the analysis is not at the top level,” he said.

“But when you play for a big club, they analyse you at the top level. Every little mistake is highlighted. And if you don’t work every day, others guys will – and they kill you.

“I can be sad for one or two hours, but the rest of the day I need to be happy because the team needs me to be positive. My brain needs it. I need it.

“When you experience difficult moments, I know I’m strong enough to change things and move on.

“I know my personality and what it’s taken to get me here at Chelsea. It’s just another moment to be strong.”