Graham Potter gives fitness update on Chelsea veteran ahead of Brentford tie

Chelsea manager Graham Potter offers update on Thiago Silva ahead of the Brentford game

Speaking to the media ahead of the game against Brentford (h/t Football.London), Chelsea manager Graham Potter offers an update on veteran centre-back Thiago Silva, emphasising his recovery after Sunday’s game.

Silva suffered a tight hamstring during the weekend’s win over Aston Villa. Since the Brentford game on Wednesday is a quick turnaround from that, Potter talked about making sure that the recovery is right for the player but confirms there are no concerns regarding an injury.

The manager was also asked about the Brazilian’s age and whether there is a concern regarding that. The player is 38 now but still going strong with respect to performance and consistency.

Here’s what Potter exactly on this situation (h/t Football.London):

“It’s obviously 24/48 hours [since Aston Villa] so we need to make sure the recovery is right for him [Silva]. But no problems injury-wise, it is just the recovery.

“I have to involve him in the conversations, he is 38 years old and is a man who knows himself better than I do. He’s a really important person, a really important player for us, but we have to manage him correctly and he has to be involved in that process.”

Missing Thiago Silva for any game would be a blow for Chelsea, such has been the impact of the player and how good he is. However, as Potter mentioned, it is important that the Brazil international is managed properly and plays most games in a season rather than getting overplayed early on and then missing a lot of games.

The Blues have a cramped schedule with games coming every three/four days till the World Cup. Managing the workload is as important a job for Potter as is preparing the team to win games of football.

Moreover, after the Brentford encounter, Chelsea face Manchester United on Sunday at Stamford Bridge. The manager would want most of his fit key players available for that game, and if there is any risk involved in playing any of them against the Bees, he would better look at the alternatives.

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Silva definitely falls in the “key players” category. It would be touch and go for him on Wednesday given how Potter framed his answer. With Wesley Fofana also out, there could be more game time for Trevoh Chalobah to partner Kalidou Koulibaly in central defence.