MY ACCOUNT
Thiago Silva was unable to add the Carabao Cup to his glittering trophy collection last Sunday but the veteran continues to defy the ageing process with his performances for Chelsea.
The 37-year-old put in yet another stellar showing at Wembley to prevent free-scoring Liverpool from finding the net over 120 minutes before eventually losing on penalties.
With the Blues still fighting in the Champions League and FA Cup, Silva will surely be pivotal if they are to be triumphant in either competition.
Ahead of Chelsea’s FA Cup fifth-round clash with Luton tomorrow, we take a closer look at the evergreen defender’s form.
Final flourish
When Silva joined Chelsea on a one-year deal in the summer of 2020, he looked ready to sign off his career with a final flourish in the Premier League following a trophy-laden eight years with Paris Saint-Germain.
In return, he would pass on his wisdom to an inexperienced Blues defence who had shipped goals far too frequently under Frank Lampard the season before.
But while seemingly at the twilight of his playing days, it was clear to see Silva’s burning desire for success was still there.
Upon signing, he told Chelsea’s official website: “Normally, at 35 or 36 years of age, it’s the time when players leave the Premier League but I’m doing things the other way around — I’m only just starting.
“What motivates me, day by day, is the hunger to win. To win everything within my reach.”
One-and-a-half years and three trophies later, Silva has recently agreed to stick around for a third campaign at Stamford Bridge.
Age is just a number
And that is no sentimental move from Chelsea chiefs, with the veteran a lynchpin of Thomas Tuchel’s defence.
Starting 18 of 25 Premier League matches this season, the statistics show he is still performing at the top of his game.
He continues to dominate at the back — ranking highest at Stamford Bridge for clearances completed (70) and possessions won in the defensive third (80).
Their defensive leader is a commanding presence in the penalty area too, coming in second for aerial duels won (42) and headed clearances (28).
A heroic moment in Sunday’s final was a clear sign that age really is just a number for the Rio de Janeiro native.
With Mohamed Salah racing through with just the goalkeeper to beat, Silva — who was in his own half when the ball was played — somehow outpaced his fellow defenders to clear the Egyptian’s chipped effort away from danger.
Cool customer
The coolness and ease at which he plays is what has fans and pundits alike salivating at Silva’s displays.
So much so that Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thinks his ability on the ball tops that of one of the Premier League’s finest current defenders in Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk.
The former Blues striker said: “Even when he’s under pressure he finds a solution.
“With his headers, [it] always goes to the right colour. When he intercepts, his first pass is majority of the time forward and the team can break.
“Virgil van Dijk as well, I think [Thiago] Silva is a bit better on the ball — I do think so. I’m not saying that he’s bad, Silva is a little bit better on the ball.
“I think sometimes when Van Dijk is under pressure he kicks it out while Silva wouldn’t, he finds a solution.”
The stats show that to be true, with Silva ranking fifth of anyone in the Premier League for passes completed per 90 minutes (74.58) and sixth for passing accuracy (91.46%).
That puts him way ahead of the Reds stalwart in both metrics as the highest-ranking defender not from Manchester City.
Defying Father Time
In the first leg of Chelsea’s 2-0 Champions League last-16 victory over Lille last Tuesday, Silva was at his brilliant best.
He did not seem to put a foot wrong, consistently in the right place to clear away any potential Lille attacks and rarely misplacing a pass.
It led Gary Lineker to wax lyrical about Chelsea’s No6.
The Match of the Day presenter tweeted: “How good is Thiago Silva? I’ll answer that myself: ridiculously good.
“A wonderful defender who’s defying Father Time.”
Silva’s desire to feature for Brazil at this year’s World Cup is another driving force, something he looks a shoo-in to do on current form.
And with fellow defenders Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and experienced figure Cesar Azpilicueta looking likely to leave Chelsea this summer, securing Silva’s future was the first step in Chelsea avoiding a potential defensive crisis.
New faces arriving will be the next step but Silva — who turns 38 in September — is sure to have to continue his defiance of Father Time for Tuchel at Chelsea next term.
