ESPN pundit Steve Nicol highlighted how important Thiago Silva was to Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Leicester City at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
The Blues were made to work for the three points, especially after Conor Gallagher’s early sending-off in the first half which left them down to 10 men for the majority of the game.
Fortunately for Chelsea, Raheem Sterling got off the mark for the club when the team really needed it.
Former Liverpool defender Nicol, however, argued that Silva played the most important part in Chelsea’s win at the weekend.
“I tell you what… Thiago Silva… If he hadn’t played [on Saturday], they would’ve lost this game,” the former Scotland international told ESPN FC.
“They were cruising at 2-0, and then [Edouard] Mendy got beaten at his near post by [Harvey] Barnes. As you can imagine, you’ve got 10 men, the opposition are coming after you.
“For the last 20 odd minutes, [Leicester] threw everything at Chelsea.
“Thiago Silva, in those 20 minutes, must have caught out at least three or four crosses and opportunities that Leicester had.
“In that small period of time, he’s absolutely brilliant.
“Yes, Sterling got the two goals, but without Silva, they [wouldn’t have] won this game.”
Reliable Thiago Silva
The Brazil international, whose performance also impressed Thomas Tuchel, made five tackles and four clearances in the game.
He also won 10 out of his 11 duels and was responsible for two of Leicester’s four blocked shots.
Still, Chelsea will soon enter the more hectic part of the season, and Tuchel will likely have to manage the former PSG star’s fitness level.
As alternatives, the Blues still have another experienced defender in Kalidou Koulibaly, who missed the Leicester win due to suspension, or a younger option in Ethan Ampadu, who operated in the middle of the back three during pre-season.
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