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A few weeks ago, the pair of longtime teammates would never have thought that the next time they met would be on opposite sides of a great Premier League match. Edinson Cavani and Thiago Silva have left both Paris and Paris Saint-Germain behind, leaving the former a bit bitter and the latter disappointing. On Saturday, they should face both sides of the Manchester United-Chelsea division.
For PSG fans, it will be strange to see them in different jerseys. Silva, 36, has already played four games for the Blues, but after eight great years in the French capital, it’s still hard to believe that he is no longer the captain of the Ligue 1 champions. Cavani, 33, he missed the trip to Paris with United so he could continue training in Manchester and be available for this great game. He trained very well all week and could make his United debut this Saturday at Old Trafford, especially with Anthony Martial still suspended after his red card in a 6-1 loss to Tottenham.
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This past weekend was a special one for Cavani. For the fourth time since moving to Europe in 2007, he trained with a new team. After seven seasons in Paris with PSG, four in Palermo and two at Napoli, he is finally in Manchester after a summer of looking for a new club. And for the first time since early March, he was back in a locker room, mingling with a team, talking to teammates, joking around and getting ready to play soccer again.
It had also been a long time coming. For the past seven months, the Uruguayan star has stayed fit and ready whether at his huge property in Salto, where he is from, or in Paris. He worked alone, with a fitness coach, or with friends, and his fitness levels are pretty good according to his entourage. However, he has not played competitive soccer for seven months.
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Cavani deserved a better conclusion in Paris. The Uruguayan striker is synonymous with the best time of PSG and yet it is not synonymous with the greatest achievement of this generation of players: the 2020 Champions League final. “Edi”, still bitter because his contract (which expired in June ) did not extend even though he wanted to stay, he refused to stay at the club until the end of the European season.
Some fans did not forgive him. Others didn’t like the fact that, although he left the club on June 30, he waited until September to say goodbye properly, via social media, but having moved on, the 33-year-old would love to participate in the Saturday. . His last game was his 301st and final appearance for PSG, against Borussia Dortmund on March 11. He is, and could always be, the club’s top scorer, with 200 goals in 301 games in all competitions in seven brilliant seasons. There was his attitude, his work pace, his famous goal celebration. But above the goals, there was his incredible mentality and his love for the club and the fans.
Silva, left, and Cavani, right, won many trophies together at Paris Saint-Germain, but on Saturday he could score first for them on opposite sides of the Chelsea-Manchester United divide. Jeroen Meuwsen / Soccrates / Getty Images
Thiago Silva also had a very strong relationship with the PSG fan base, possibly more so than even Cavani. The Brazilian defender and his family adopted Paris as their home. They became French citizens, one of their children was born there and, it’s no secret, he would have loved to stay a little longer at the club. Only it was a wish not shared by Leonardo, PSG sports director. The Brazilian was disappointed and didn’t like the way they treated him, but admittedly he moved quickly. Now, he’s blue, a different shade of blue, mind you, and he’s quickly adjusting to the next chapter in his life and career. The Silvas are happy in London; To borrow a phrase from Isabelle, Thiago’s wife, they have fallen in love with their new surroundings.
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On the field, Thiago Silva has already become indispensable for Frank Lampard. When they spoke before he joined Chelsea, Lampard told Silva that he wanted him to be their leader, to lead by example with his experience and help the younger players. That is what you are doing. His Premier League debut at West Bromwich was difficult: he made a crucial mistake that helped the Baggies reach a 3-0 lead, but since that day, Chelsea have kept two clean sheets in the two games they played in House. against Crystal Palace in the Premier League (4-0) and in the Champions League against Sevilla (0-0).
The Brazilian is not yet in his prime and is still meeting his new teammates. He’s working to build his relationship with the likes of Kurt Zouma and Edouard Mendy, talking to them regularly outside of training. He is also very close to César Azpilicueta and has been very impressed by the talent of Reece James.
For his first big game in England, Silva has high hopes of facing Cavani. There will certainly be no secrets between them. They have met a million times in training. They know each other’s weaknesses better than anyone, and after Saturday’s game, they will surely spend time catching up on each other’s new beginnings or reminiscing about old times.
In general, fans will always have fond memories of Cavani and Silva despite persistent unhappiness over their outings. They will probably watch Manchester United vs Chelsea on Saturday with interest, and perhaps with a little tear in their eyes too.
Source: espn.co.uk
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