"My player of the season so far" - Frank Leboeuf picks Chelsea's best player this season
Former France international Frank Leboeuf has labeled centre-back Thiago Silva as Chelsea's player of the season so far.
Silva joined Chelsea in the summer of 2020 as a free agent after leaving Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Since then, the Brazil icon has become an indispensable part of their defense.
He has scored five goals and provided four assists in 95 games across competitions in nearly two-and-a-half seasons at the club. He has helped the Blues keep 22 clean sheets in 64 Premier League appearances.
These numbers underline his importance under the three managers that have managed him at Chelsea - Frank Lampard, Thomas Tuchel, and Graham Potter.
In this campaign, he has provided two assists in 13 games across competitions. Silva has looked comfortable in a three-at-the-back system and has commanded the Blues' backline with conviction.
🏽
🏽
Great game mates!! We're through to the last 16 @ChelseaFC 👏🏽👊🏽
#ThiagoSilva #TS6 #OhhhThiagoSilva #Chelsea #ChelseaFC #CFC #championsleague #UCL #RedBullArenaSalzburg https://t.co/oBnYHBjevZ
This has led Leboeuf to claim that the former AC Milan centre-back has been the club's best player this campaign. He told FairBettingSites:
"Thiago Silva is my player of the season so far for Chelsea. The guy is amazing. He’s playing even better than he was at PSG. He may have lost a little bit of pace, but he compensates for that with his mind because he is a very smart person."
Leboeuf, who played as a centre-back for the west London outfit between 1996 and 2001, continued:
"He’s tough defensively, he seems to have adapted so well to the physicality of the Premier League. He knows the referees won’t give him fouls as easily as [sic] they did in Ligue 1 so he has to toughen up and he has done."
Despite being 38 years old, Silva has remained one of the Blues' most important players. His current contract expires at the end of the season.
Thiago Silva showed off his defensive awareness vs Salzburg, his footballing IQ is through the roof. https://t.co/C7rbmnhHnA
Chelsea manager happy to have Thiago Silva at his disposal
Manager Graham Potter has claimed that the current batch of Chelsea players allow him to be flexible with the formation he wants to choose. He became the club's manager on September 8 after replacing Thomas Tuchel at the helm.
Before the Blues, Potter managed clubs such as Ostersund, Swansea City, and Bright & Hove Albion. He did not have the resources or the talent at his disposal to stick to one formation and had to switch his tactics around.
Potter has claimed that he is happy to work with a group of players at Chelsea that respond well to his tactical approach. He told the official club website last week:
"My career has meant I have had to use resources as well as I can. We didn’t have the power to just go 4-3-3 all the time...Thiago Silva for example can play in the middle of a three or in a back four. He is the captain of Brazil – he can play football!"
Potter's side won 2-1 against Red Bull Salzburg in the UEFA Champions League yesterday (October 26), ensuring qualification for the Round of 16.