Thomas Tuchel praised Chelsea duo Thiago Silva and Jorginho; whose connection has played an important role in the team’s build-up plays.
Silva officially made his 50th appearance for Chelsea in the 2-1 win over Watford in midweek.
At 37, it is quite unbelievable how reliable he has been since joining on a free transfer in summer 2020.
In Tuchel’s 3-4-3 system, Silva plays in the middle of the back three. He is always calm and very good at providing cover for the two more aggressive centre-backs.
That is not the only reason why he fits perfectly in this central role, however. He is also an exceptional ball-playing defender.
According to Tuchel, Silva and Jorginho, who mostly plays as a number six in front of him, is key to Chelsea’s playing-out-from-the-back approach.
“They have a good connection,” Tuchel told Chelsea TV about Silva and Jorginho.
“They understand each other very well, not only because they both speak Portuguese, but also in [their] understanding of build-up play and distance to each other [on the pitch].
“They are very good together.
“Defensively, they also trust each other, and I think the two are a good pair.”
Well, Jorginho has completed the third most progressive passes (43) at Chelsea, while Silva leads the club’s charts in the total distance of progressive passes.
It is easy why Tuchel relies heavily on these two. The statistics simply suggest Chelsea play more progressive when these two are both on the pitch.
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