Chelsea boss Antonio Conte explained that his decision to leave David Luiz out of the starting line-up for Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday was a tactical one.
The Brazilian has come in for criticism for his performances this season and Conte elected to start Andreas Christiansen in his place- a decision which was vindicated by a good performance from Christiansen.
Conte explained, "It"s very simple, no? Very simple. The coach has to make the best decision for the team, and tonight the best decision for the team was to play with Christensen and to have, on the bench, [Ethan] Ampadu.
"I must take the best decision for the club, not for a single player. Sometimes I can make mistakes. Sometimes I can do the best things for my team."
Conte insisted there was no personal issue with Luiz, "It"s only a tactical decision. It"s normal. This can happen to every one of my players, if I see that they are not in good form. It"s normal.
“I repeat: I have to put my face in every situation, and then to sometimes make important decisions. Today I did this and I think Christensen played a massive game. I was very happy for this.
“I think that I have a squad. I have a squad with 16 senior players, and five young players. I have these players, and then I repeat I have to make the best decision for the team. I try to do this."
