Thiago Silva protests to his Chelsea teammates during the draw in Bournemouth Photo: Reuters/Matthew Childs
At first it was ” Chelsea” fan on social media, who he snapped at before the international break, and then, against Bournemouth, some of the Brazilian's teammates took a hit on the ears. So what's eating Thiago Silva?
The grand old duke of Chelsea's youth team celebrates his 39th birthday on Friday, but rather than mellowing with each passing year, Silva appears to be angry about things. around him at Stamford Bridge.
In midweek he further highlighted his displeasure by posting a crying emoji next to the Champions League title on X (formerly Twitter), which was viewed by more than seven million people.
Silva should have been the man to set an example for his much younger teammates, but it was the veteran who had to tell head coach Mauricio Pochettino to calm down during the draw with Bournemouth.
That didn't happen. Long before half-time last Sunday, Silva's frustration boiled over when he received the ball from goalkeeper Robert Sanchez only to find there was no one around to pass to. In response, he shouted: “Come on.”
A couple of weeks ago, following the home defeat to Nottingham Forest, a fan on social media angered Silva with a post claiming he should be dropped and that Pochettino should play a back five to “shove” him into the team.
@ChampionsLeague 😥
— Thiago Silva (@tsilva3) September 19, 2023
Silva responded directly with a message that said: “If you look closely at the game, you will see that we are playing with four people, my friend! But there is nothing wrong with assuming that I am also responsible for the failure. Put pressure on me. There were no problems yesterday.”
Pochettino would have agreed with Silva that his formation was a back four, but there was still some merit to the fan's comment as the decision to use Levi Colville as a makeshift option remained. -back, apparently, was made to protect the Chelsea old-timer.
Former head coach Thomas Tuchel was of the opinion that Silva should play in a back three, while for all his admiration for the player, Graham Potter was worried that he wanted to sit too deep in a back four.
Silva has not been shy about telling his managers how he thinks the team should set up and play, especially given that he plans to move into coaching when he finally hangs up his boots. He is demanding in training and on the field, but his high standards can, according to sources, cross the line and cause resentment when he feels he is not being met.
While some players dawdled in the final awkward weeks of last season, Silva was furious and a slow start to this campaign did not appear to have improved his mood.
It was natural that Silva would want to sit deeper than the younger defenders would have liked, but he and Axel Disasi spent so much time near their 18-yard box against Bournemouth that it made pressing high up the pitch much more difficult and left the full-backs and midfielders Chelsea have acres of space to play. cover, supporting the attack.
Thiago Silva was an outstanding player at Chelsea, but appears to be frustrated with the current situation at the club . Photo: Getty Images/Ryan Pierce
Adapted Silva, who has been one of Chelsea's best players in his three years at the club since joining on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, has always been useful but will not be around forever and the return of Benoit Badiashile after injury will give Pochettino something to think about.
Barring the occasional tantrum, Pochettino will no doubt be concerned at the prospect of abandoning Silva's experience and leadership, given how young and relatively inexperienced the rest of his squad is.
This was a mystery to many players. Sources claim that Silva was not named as one of Chelsea's captains at the start of the season, and his apparent refusal to take the armband when offered it during games was noticed on social media by those who like to analyze such things.< /p>< p>Pochettino insisted that Silva did not need the armband to be a leader, but it nevertheless seemed strange that, despite injured captain Reece James and vice-captain Ben Chilwell on the bench last weekend, Conor Gallagher, the player ” Chelsea” was a Chelsea player. open for sale in the summer, was named captain for the day.
The decision to give James the captain's armband was made jointly by Pochettino and the club, but there is a dispute over the 23-year-old. It would be better to leave another season to maintain his fitness rather than worry about the locker room. Chilwell is a popular character in the team, but he is one of the calmer players in the Chelsea squad.
It appears that he is now 39 years old and again in the final year of his current contract. It is unlikely that this will be anything other than Silva's final year at Chelsea. It remains to be seen whether this will be enjoyable as fairytale endings are a rarity in football.
Recent Comments