Garth Crooks thinks Thiago Silva is the glue in the Chelsea defence right now.
Silva, who turned 38 last month, has been one of the few regulars in the Blues line-up this campaign.
The Brazilian centre-half has played every minute in the opening seven Premier League games this season, proving he can play in either a back three or a back four.
Despite the change of management from Thomas Tuchel to Graham Potter, he’s still a familiar name on the team sheet.
Silva the glue in Chelsea defence
BBC pundit Crooks has pinpointed the significance of Silva to Chelsea’s backline right now.
In particular, he enjoyed his headed assist on the weekend in the 2-1 victory against Crystal Palace.
“While Wesley Fofana is still finding his feet at Chelsea, and Kalidou Koulibaly is trying to come to terms with Premier League football, Silva is holding the fort at Chelsea. His header to set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s equaliser was superb,” Crooks wrote for BBC Sport.
Silva was perhaps a tad fortunate not to be sent off on Saturday against Palace, with even Potter confessing he could have been dismissed for a handball incident.
However, it’s good news that the South American defender will still be available for selection moving forward.
With new defensive players added to the squad in the summer, it’s understandable that the club are still searching for the best combination at the back.
If Silva continues playing like he is, it makes sense to stick with the veteran defender.
Fofana and Koulibaly both arrived at Stamford Bridge in the summer with big reputations, but there may only be room for one of them on a consistent basis if Potter wants to play a back four.
Chelsea are still working out the best personnel for the backline in the centre. They can bank on Reece James as a right-back/right wing-back consistently, though.
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