Frank Lampard has hailed Thiago Silva’s impact after the defender made his Chelsea debut last night in the Carabao Cup against Barnsley.
It was hardly a major test for a player whose last game was the Champions League final against Bayern Munich, but he looked like a Rolls Royce up against Champions League defenders. Frank Lampard was suitably impressed:
“It was a perfect 60 minutes for him,” the manager said in quotes picked up by FourFourTwo.
(It should be pointed out that the defender was subbed off after an hour, he didn’t suddenly start playing worse.)
“He will show the qualities he has. Of course, he will get fitter and better,” the boss continued.
“He also gave us something – for me on the night, in the dressing room and on the pitch – of a leader with authority of his demands on others.”
That is great to hear. For all the talent and youth it has, this team has sometimes seemed like it lacked a little leadership, and you don’t get a player with more gravitas and experience than Silva.
It was vital to get him some minutes on the pitch after a few weeks off, and it will now be interesting to see who starts at the weekend when we take on West Brom in the Premier League.
