Chelsea coach, Frank Lampard is of the opinion that his Brazilian veteran defender, Thiago Silva is comparable to the likes of Premier League title winners, Virgil van Dijk and Vincent Kompany. Lampard points out the new standards set in his team’s defensive department after the Brazilian defender’s arrival at Stamford Bridge.
The 36 years old centre-back has been a crucial part of Chelsea’s defence and influenced the team to keep five clean sheets in a row. Thiago has been involved in all the six clean sheets out of a total of seven the Blues has got this campaign and it clearly shows the level he is in and his influencing power.
According to the Goal, the Chelsea coach compared him to both the stars of Liverpool and Manchester City who guided their teams to the Premier League victory.
“In terms of the career that he has had, of course, he absolutely walks into the bracket of top center-backs like the ones mentioned,” the Chelsea manager told reporters.
“To achieve in the modern day, you have individuals or pairings defensively that set those standards. We know the importance of defending well to try to win trophies and particularly the Premier League title but they need support around them, behind them and in front of them but when you look at the performances of Thiago in the early games, he can be a big deal for us but we need a lot more.
“When he became available [after leaving PSG in the summer] it was something that really excited me and something that the club moved very swiftly on.
“That was good work and it feels like that now with Thiago and the opening performances showed on the pitch.”
The Blues has been well settled and solid in the backline for the first time since Lampard joined the cub as a manager last season. The back four of Reece James, Silva, Kurt Zouma and Ben Chilwell ha been great together and the new goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy has been exceptional.
These performances are coming after a season where the team has conceded a total of 54 goals in the league and it was the worst total since the current club owner, Roman Abramovich bought the club.
Kurt Zouma admits too that the presence of world-class Silva has helped the team to become confident while playing in the back or in counters from the opposition and also improved the ones beside him.
