After four years at Chelsea, Thiago Silva left the club for Fluminense earlier this summer, and the central defender is now thriving under Mano Menezes.
With Thiago Silva no longer at Stamford Bridge, the Blues have gone with Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana as their first-choice centre-back pairing this season so far.
The two have started Chelsea‘s first two Premier League games, helping their team to win last time out against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
However, looking at how Chelsea’s backline performed in those matches and Silva’s performances for Fluminense, you can make an argument that the club should have kept the Brazilian.
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Thiago Silva’s form at Fluminense
Silva has not disappointed since returning to Fluminense, with the central defender helping Menezes’ side to become a much more solid outfit.
ESPN recently shared one really impressive stat about Silva and Fluminense, showing the extent of their improvement following his introduction to the team.
In the six league games Silva has played for Fluminense, they have not lost or conceded a single goal.
Chelsea, in contrast, have been quite leaky at the back, something Enzo Maresca will need to address if the Blues are to have a successful season.
Chelsea’s unconvincing backline
Individually, Chelsea have some really talented defenders, such as Colwill and Fofana. However, the two Premier League games the team have played so far, the backline, as a unit, has not looked great.
It conceded two goals to Manchester City before conceding another two against Wolves.
Silva would not have necessarily prevented those goals and at his age, you would have concerns about him playing under a really modern-day coach like Maresca, who wants his line to be high at times.
But given his experience and how he is performing in Brazil, it is not far-fetched to argue that Chelsea should have kept hold of Silva.
Frank Leboeuf has already spoken about Colwill and Fofana, with the Chelsea legend feeling that the two do not have enough experience yet.
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