‘It’s a pleasure to be his coach’: Tuchel says he loves working with £105k-a-week Chelsea player

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Thomas Tuchel has shared his delight at working with Chelsea defender Thiago Silva on a day-to-day basis.

Silva, 37, is still a vital figure on the pitch for the Blues, even at his age.

The £105,000-a-week centre-back constantly impresses with his no-nonsense defending, as well as his calmness and leadership that runs through the spine of the team.

He previously worked with Tuchel when the duo were at Paris Saint-Germain, so it’s no surprise to see he’s been vital under him at Stamford Bridge. In fact, Silva ranks third (118 appearances) when it comes to a list of players most used by Tuchel in his managerial career.

Chelsea’s manager has given a rave review of the Brazil international in his most recent press conference:

“Thiago Silva was very brave to make the decision to join the Premier League at his age, with his status at Paris Saint-Germain and to completely change his life,” Tuchel said.

“He’s been fantastic since he arrived; it’s the same story now, it’s a pleasure to be his coach because he sets an example every day, he’s very humble and professional and he’s an exceptional player.

“We’ve had a back three in many games and he’s excellent in the middle, he contributes so much with his experience. It’s only a good thing because he’s very reliable.

“He’s the same person that he was, and I feel he was very brave to change his life towards the end of his career, that’s very impressive.”

Chelsea have two of the league’s best CBs

For certain, Silva currently ranks as one of the best centre-backs playing in the Premier League. Blues teammate Antonio Rudiger belongs in that top tier category, too.

Liverpool and Manchester City, in particular, own some of the elite defenders in European football. You might have a difficult job finding a Chelsea fan that would swap Silva or Rudiger for a rival centre-half, though.

A lot of Tuchel’s success during his opening year has been built on defensive brilliance.

With the Blues attack still trying to gel, any more trophies in the second half of the campaign could come largely down to the defenders.

There is a daunting task ahead of facing Liverpool’s frontline this Sunday in the Carabao Cup final.

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