“Deserves a medal”- PL legend backs Chelsea star who enjoyed a forgettable outing at Newcastle United

Rio Ferdinand praises Chelsea star Thiago Silva despite poor performance against Newcastle United

Chelsea star Thiago Silva’s reliability at the back, despite being 39 years old has been commended by former Manchester United player Rio Ferdinand. Despite all the odds against him, the Brazilian centre-back is still Chelsea’s leader at the back.

Since joining Chelsea, Silva has been the team’s first-choice defender under every manager. Despite his age, Silva has shown no signs of slowing down. This season under Mauricio Pochetton, Silva has featured in every Premier League game, scoring a goal as well.

However, in the Blues’ recent defeat to Newcastle United, the Samba star made a grave mistake that led to a goal for the Magpies, and this has put him under scrutiny. While we should have expected a player of Silva’s experience to do better, mistakes are a part of the game.

Now it could lead to fans demanding that Pochettino bench the Brazilian player and rotate his defence with other players. However, amid the criticism, Rio Ferdinand has praised Silva’s efforts and commented on FIVE’s YouTube channel:

“Forget the performances; to be getting out there at 39, he deserves a medal. It’s mad. At 36/37, I was on the way to A&E, and almost after every game, I was in so much pain. It was hard. I don’t know if he’s doing it. It’s unreal. You’ve got to respect his professionalism. He’s had a bad game this weekend. Who cares.”

As a player who has seen both good and bad days, Ferdinand is right in his assessment that even the best players enjoy off days. Silva’s error did not go unpunished but we can be certain that the veteran will be keen to make amends in the games to come. The 39-year-old is in the twilight of his career, but his experience in marshalling a backline is something no other centre-back on the current Chelsea roster can replicate.

It’s not like he’s turned into our most terrible defender just because he made a bad error. These things are common and they are bound to happen in such games. Since few players would still be playing in the Premier League at age 39, Silva’s dependability should be recognised in every match. The Brazilian might not have been at Stamford Bridge for long but the accomplishments in his long career speak for itself.

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However, it wasn’t his day against Newcastle but he will definitely make up for it in the following game. It is rare to find a defender this brilliant at such a late age in the contemporary era. When he leaves, we will miss having such a great player at the club, so we should be grateful for his performance while he is here.