Chelsea defender Thiago Silva spoke to the Brazilian press following the Blues’ clash with Sevilla in the Champions League last night.
The Stamford Bridge side couldn’t manage to get anything better than a 0-0 draw, and the player acknowledged that the team has to improve this season.
There were two interesting extra topics Thiago Silva talked about, and the first of them was the challenge he took on by moving to the Premier League at the age of 36.
The defender explained that players of his age are normally going to easier leagues, and thanked manager Frank Lampard for trusting him this summer.
“Man, I’m moved by challenges. I think you stressed it well, I was in Paris for eight years, theoretically in some way or another I was kind of accommodated,” Thiago Silva told Esporte Interativo.
“Not accommodated in the sense of not working, not wanting good results. But you end up falling into a routine. And for me it’d be difficult to start another year with all that pressure of having to win the Champions League. So theoretically I change the air a little and I find myself a little more relaxed. Not that there’s no pressure, the pressure is the same. I play for a big team that seeks titles, anyway. And I came to try to help and I’m trying to help every moment.
“I confess that the challenge is enormous. Usually a 36-year-old player is leaving the Premier League and theoretically looking for the easiest championships to play. I’m doing the opposite way. So I’m ready for this, I’m prepared, preparing myself every day, I thank Chelsea for their confidence, especially Lampard for accepting my coming here, he was a guy who gave his approval. So I’ll try to repay all this on the pitch. But the challenge is huge.”
Thiago Silva also talked about Petr Cech, who was surprisingly included in Chelsea’s Premier League squad for the season. He says the club legend has been preparing himself for a while now.
“He’s a guy that we don’t have to discard. His story is very beautiful in football. We talk a little, he speaks a little French, so we have a little more dialogue than usual. And the other day I saw him training and asked him why he was training, if it was because he liked it or if he had the chance to be with us. He said he was really training so if he was needed, any opportunity, he could play.
“I thought he was done with his career, I was even surprised at that moment he told me. But he’s a guy who has a brilliant career at Chelsea, he’s an idol. And seeing his motivation to help us when possible, we are happy that he’s there. In our daily lives he’s a very important guy, he talks a lot with each player. His story speaks for itself, we just have him as a reference and do our job.
“I think he’s ready, man. From the training I saw, he’s well prepared. If he has an opportunity, an incident with the goalkeepers, he’s prepared and I’m sure Frank also trusts him.”
Thiago Silva and Chelsea now prepare to face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday. Their Champions League campaign resumes next week as they face Krasnodar in Russia.
Ao @Esp_Interativo, Thiago Silva divide detalhes do porquê deixar o PSG e encarar o desafio de jogar a Premier League depois de oito anos na Ligue 1: “você acaba que cai numa rotina e sou movido a desafios” pic.twitter.com/eWWZLJmUPg
— Fred Caldeira (@fredcaldeira) October 20, 2020
