Thiago Silva has explained that he sent a message to his Chelsea teammates in the dressing room on Wednesday night before their victory against Rennes in the Champions League group stages.
It was a comfortable European fixture for the Blues in the end, as French opposition Rennes played the entire second-half with a man less after Dalbert was sent off in the first period for conceding two penalties.
Timo Werner was on hand to convert twice from the penalty spot, while Tammy Abraham also netted with his half volley to make it 3-0 and wrap up three points.
Silva has revealed though that he warned his Blues teammates not to underestimate Rennes pre-match, as he’s had a lot of experience playing against them from his time in Ligue 1 with former club Paris Saint-Germain.
“Rennes are a good team, I told that to my teammates in the dressing room before the game,” Silva said, as quoted by the club’s official website.
“I have played a lot against this team. Two seasons ago they beat Paris in the final of the French Cup, I was injured but I saw a team who played very well with the ball. They are very well organised and have a coach who likes technical football.”
Chelsea have been crying out for a vocal leader on and off the pitch for sometime now, which is why it’s so refreshing to hear Silva becoming a big figure in the changing room and there are plenty of French speakers within the squad to translate his message.
He’s an experienced serial winner for the younger players to lean on and the impact he’s had on the team’s defence has been superb, as his confidence just rubs off onto others.
There were many questioning the decision to sign the 36-year-old at the beginning of the season, but he’s not playing like someone at the end of his career and has been key to a decent run of form.