Thiago Silva had Chelsea supporters on social media purring over his passing ability during yesterday’s Champions League conquest over Malmo.
The 37-year-old was back in the side last night after missing the previous weekend’s Premier League trip to Brentford.
Silva showcased an assortment of short and long balls to the Stamford Bridge crowd.
He even provided the assist for Andreas Christensen’s first-ever goal for Chelsea at the 137th attempt.
Not many centre-halves in world football could have delivered such a delightful cross, but the Brazilian is not built in the same mould as many centre-halves in world football.
That particular delivery had Chelsea fans singing the praises of Silva’s distribution.
Here’s how they reacted on Twitter:
Thiago Silva has the best passing range in our club
— Frank Lucas (@m_unknown9) October 20, 2021
Golden Silva
It will be of little surprise to Chelsea followers that Silva was statically one of the best passers for Thomas Tuchel’s team against Malmo.
According to WhoScored.com, the defender sent more accurate long balls (five) than any of his teammates.
He also attempted the most passes (95) of any player on the pitch.
Plus, his 89.5% passing accuracy actually landed higher than the metronome midfielder himself Jorginho, who managed 87.8%.
Finally, Silva supplied two key passes, more than the likes of Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Cesar Azpilicueta and Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Brazilian brilliance
Having a dictator of proceedings from deep allows Chelsea to build confidently from defence to attack.
With Werner and Romelu Lukaku facing a spell on the sidelines, having such a link between the phases will be even more important now.
Especially against teams who like to press high, for example, Southampton, who the Blues face next week in the Carabao Cup.
Thankfully for Tuchel, he can rely on Silva’s experience and quality to evade such pressure when necessary.
There’s life in the old dog yet.