Thiago Silva joined Chelsea after completing eight years with Paris Saint Germain in a free transfer. The veteran defender has adapted to life at Stamford Bridge seamlessly and had a huge influence in the Chelsea defensive department.
His presence has been hugely felt and Chelsea has conceded just 17 goals- twice as many as the last season. Individually, he has performed at his best level and has led the Blues’ backline with his impressive displays.
He has efficiently read the dangers from the opposition and put his body on the line to prevent the ball from reaching the Chelsea net. He even scored two goals now- his latest goal coming in the previous match where Chelsea beat West Ham 3-0 in the Premier League.
It was a huge goal and boost in terms of confidence for the whole team as they were returning from two back to back defeats. He is the oldest out of all the players in Chelsea but the coach thinks that he is very much in the prime. Lampard thinks that he hasn’t been able to maintain the same level of performance at Thiago’s age during his footballing career.
‘I remember playing in the Premier League at 36 and I wasn’t playing like Thiago is!’ admitted Lampard as per Chelsea’s Official website. ‘I was in and out of the team, I couldn’t play week-in, week-out because I could feel it at that stage in my career.
‘I was a bit tentative with bringing Thiago here on that front, as I knew he was a fantastic player but I wasn’t sure how he would take to the demands of the Premier League.
‘He’s been fantastic and maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised because from working with him every day you see up close just how much he puts in.
‘He prepares so well, he’s so dedicated, his reading of the game is fantastic and his desire to win headers and compete with anyone is superb. He’s really studious and I think it’s clear he will go on and become a manager if he wants to be. He’s been a great addition for us both on and off the pitch.’
The Chelsea coach also thinks that Thiago Silva can go on to become manager of any football club if he wants as he has all the qualities needed to become one.
