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Chelsea manager Frank Lampard reserved special praise for veteran defender Thiago Silva after the 4-1 win over Sheffield United.
The 36-year-old, who joined the club after leaving Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent this summer, scored his first goal for the Blues in the comfortable victory at Stamford Bridge.
The team has grown noticeably more resilient with Silva at its heart, and Lampard took the time to salute the Brazilian international’s influence both on and off the field.
“I knew the player he was when he came here because of the career he had,” he said at his post-game press conference.
“ He played the Champions League final a few weeks before coming here, but his level of performance since he is here, without much preseason, the influence, the individual performance, the way he is between games, he attacks the training sessions like that diligently.
‘He looks at the opposition when we have meetings, he wants to know. So I have a lot of conversations with him. It’s been brilliant, I can’t say enough about it. So get the goal today, a very good goal. It has had a great impact.
“I’m very open to making sure we give him the best rest in between and make things easier for him. He looks fit, he is fit, he is fresh and he is helping and infecting others around him. Let that continue for a long time.
Silva came off the mark for Chelsea in West London after heading home a diabolical free kick from Hakim Ziyech in the 77th minute, and his baseline has now only conceded once in their last six matches in all competitions.
The central defender’s recent performances have been a world away from his nightmare debut against West Brom in September.
Silva was guilty of a mistake during the 3-3 thriller, but has since underscored his credentials as one of the best defenders in the world.
Earlier in the week, Lampard shared a similar sentiment and is interested in Silva adding more silverware to his collection.
He said: ‘In terms of his career, he absolutely falls into that group of top central defenders.
I keep talking about the impact it is having, and it may be a big problem for us, but we need more.
“We are talking about teams that have won things and we are fighting for that.”
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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