David Luiz was not all that impressive when he played for Ancelotti either. At barca he will be playing with a high line and not the ultra defensive tactics of Di matteo. He won't be surrounded by the likes of John Terry or Ashley Cole to bail him out. He's good with the ball but most of the Chelsea fans I know don't trust him as a defender either because he is prone to errors esp in high-profile games. I'm not saying he is a bad defender,he's just not good enough to be a Barca player where you are expected to compete for La Liga and the Champions League every year.
And maybe I was a bit harsh in saying that that Pique is a back-up at best but that is how he has performed this season.He doesn't deserve a starting role. And quite frankly ,I feel that some of our defenders have been overrated (with the exception of the likes of Puyol ofcourse) because of the immense work-rate of our forwards,high pressing game and the fact that we usually have atleast 70% of the possession so our defenders really aren't called into question that much. If Pique was playing in a lesser team where he had to do more of the defending I think our preception of him would definitely change. Once again, I'm not saying he's a bad defender but esp after his performances this season we will have to seriously consider if he's starting material any longer.
As for your comparison between Messi and Fabregas..........I just don't see it at all how they are anywhere close
-The main thing with David Luiz is if we signed him and developed him a bit, helped him mature as defender and slowly started to shift him into the starting XI, by the time Puyol hangs up the boots, he would be ready to start. Again, Pique and Puyol should be our go-to, starting CBs in every important game next season. David Luiz would fit in and play against the lesser teams in La Liga. Don't get me wrong, David Luiz has some definite holes in his game
but they are holes that can be resolved with good coaching. Again, under the guidance of now Vilanova and Puyol they can help him with his defensive positioning and decision making. He has the technique, vision and athleticism right now but he is raw. With our coaches and the experience he will get under Puyol, I think he has the potential to be an even more complete Defender than Thiago Silva, its just going to take a bit more time to get him to that level.
-With the whole Fabregas thing, I am saying that they are similar in the fact that they both can play as the attacking midfielder who plays in right behind the strikers, like a classic "number 10", trequartista, whatever you wish to call it. Fabregas does this more naturally than Messi. The great thing about Messi is you can put him anywhere on the pitch and he will still work his magic while you can't do that with Cesc, as we have seen this season. So, in order to get Cesc playing to his best potential, that is why I suggest we moved Cesc in that role while Messi plays on the RW.
-Pique is world class, one of the best defenders in the world due to him having something you can't teach: poise. He had an off season due mainly to a lack of concentration (whether it has anything to do with Shakira is a pointless debate) but I am confident that he will be more motivated next year and we will see his best form next season.