Chelsea’s latest signing, Paris Saint-Germain’s Thiago Silva, has the quality to tackle the problems in the short term in defense.
There were constant themes in the 2019/20 season for Chelsea and many of them were positive. The emergence of youth, often striking offensive football and the wild celebrations of Frank Lampard at big games were all things that Blues fans were accustomed to seeing throughout the season. However, the side was also plagued by defensive weakness, a lack of leadership and the total inability to defend set pieces. Chelsea scored 54 goals in the Premier League this season – the same number as Brighton – which is simply not good enough for a team with aspirations of silverware.
So, fans and pundits would have expected these issues to be addressed in the summer transfer window. Although the transfer window has so far been exceptional in many ways, these striking issues still need to be addressed. The signatures of Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and the forthcoming arrival of Kai Havertz have bought an absurd amount of extra fireworks for a team that has already scored the most goals in the country behind Liverpool and Manchester City. But some fans will have let their worries down due to the lack of attention that appeared to be paid to the backline – until now.
Ben Chilwell’s announcement was a much-needed start, although his defensive qualities are still up for debate, but the quality of Thiago Silva cannot be questioned. The latest addition from Chelsea can bring three crucial forces to this team:
Leadership
The Brazilian veteran has been the best center-back in the world for a number of years, as evidenced by his three consecutive years in the 2011-13 UEFA Team. Despite AC Milan and PSG’s lack of European success in this time frame, Silva was able to function. More importantly, he was a leader at both clubs, which Chelsea desperately missed. He has been club captain at his previous two clubs, and also frequent captain of the national team.
It may be difficult to quantify what such leadership actually means in a football side, but the lack of backbone of the Blues was evident from their results this season. Once behind, Chelsea only came up to come back and win twice all season – at Arsenal and Aston Villa. Comparing this to Liverpool, the Reds have achieved the feat six times, despite hardly ever falling behind.
How often would a television camera pick up Virgil Van Dijk shouting at his teammates to focus and come back into a match? This is exactly what Chelsea has missed and Silva can deliver that leadership. Like this, Silva will call on his teammates to deploy during dead game. It may sound like the minimum for a professional footballer, but time and time again Chelsea players switch out and allow their man to run free on corners. Having an organized leader behind it, telling people what to do can only help in this regard.
Furthermore, since he’s likely to play right – back, he will be able to help the defensive side of Reece James’ game tremendously by constantly telling him where he is needed in the defensive phase. Victor Moses once said that Cesar Azpilicueta played behind him in Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 assisted him defensively, as the Spaniard always told him exactly where he needed to be; Silva will have the same impact.
Quality
In addition to the intangible effects Silva may have on the sidelines, there is the very tangible advantage that he is simply a better center-back than who Chelsea currently has. Rival fans will point to his age, and at 35 he is clearly not a springboard, but he just played very competently in a Champions League final. Any suggestion he’s long gone is angry.
His numbers this season at Paris Saint-Germain were still quite impressive. His passing statistics are sensational, as he finished second out of Ligue 1 defenders for passes completed in opposition half, yet achieved the highest pass rate of 95 percent. The fact that PSG at the last minute tried to retell his decision not to renew his contract tells you everything you need to know about the quality of his recent performances.
Time
The last benefit that Silva’s signing brings to the team is tied to his age. Instead of being negative, his age and short contract –a year with the option to extend-Must be seen as a positive. In the short term, he brings all the mentioned qualities, but he also lets the likes of Fikayo Tomori and newly signed Malanga Sarr borrow for a year or two.
Chelsea’s other center-backs, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, will then have a year or two to improve with Silva’s help. If they can not, they will be replaced by one – or both – of Tomori and Sarr, as these two have once again been given more minutes by the first team under their belts. By the time this signature gives the Blues, they can raise funds and sign a world-beating central in a few years. The Blues could also have the confidence in their current central defenders and loans to help them lead the way in the future.
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