Chelsea stars David Luiz and Juan Mata have revealed they will split the club’s free-kicks depending on the side of the pitch, with regular taker Didier Drogba now departed and Frank Lampard often out of the team.
David Luiz scored a terrific set-piece against FC Nordsjaelland in the Champions League on Wednesday, while Mata believes he should get first shot at those suited to left-footed players.
The duo look set to spark-up a rivalry for set-piece responsibilities as the season continues:
Luiz told Mirror Football: “I will try to take more free-kicks. In Denmark, I had a great place for a shot, but we have Mata and Frank and everyday we just do it in training.
“Sometimes they give me the ball and I had the confidence to take the ball and just shoot. If you have confidence to shoot, you can shoot.
“Before the match, the plan was that we would decide between the three of us, so it was easy to arrange between me, Lamps and Mata. If you have confidence to take a free-kick, all the players can score.”
Mata added: “Who takes the next one depends on which side of the pitch we have it. If it’s for a left-footed player, it will be me. If it’s on the other side, maybe David or someone else.
