Paul Merson has stated in his Sky Sports piece how important both Reece James and Thiago Silva are to Chelsea.
The pair both didn’t feature against Southampton last weekend, as things reached a new low for the Blues this season.
They were deservedly beaten by the side currently occupying last place in the Premier League.
The result brought yet more pressure onto Graham Potter, who by the sounds of things has lost the faith of the Stamford Bridge matchgoers.
Merson has however praised the manager for his ability to look after his players who could be prone to injury instead of playing his best team at every available moment.
Merson praises James and Silva
He said: “It isn’t good at Chelsea at the moment. Potter is not looking after himself he’s looking after the team – which I quite like. Let’s be honest, it was a big football match on Saturday, Chelsea were playing bottom of the league.
“The best two players this season have been Reece James and Thiago Silva – he didn’t play either of those two players, he looked after them. He could have said ‘my job is on the line, I’m going to play you’ and worry about himself but he hasn’t.”
It is likely the duo were rested with an eye towards the Champions League Round of 16 second leg against Borussia Dortmund, where they will be crucial to their sides’ hopes of advancing in the competition.
A rough injury to Cesar Azpilicueta will likely see him ruled out for a couple of weeks now, meaning James will be required for an extended run in the team for the first time since injury.
Meanwhile, a defensive pairing of Kalidou Koulibaly and Benoit Badiashile only further enforced how much both of them need Silva by their side.
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