Chelsea’s Frank Lampard Commends Thiago Silva Despite 0-0 Stalemate

Veteran skipper Thiago Silva stepped up defensively for Chelsea in their UEFA Champions League group stage match against Sevilla on Tuesday.

The performance that the Brazilian star exhibited on the turf prompted Chelsea manager Frank Lampard to commend the reliable center back for his contributions.

"I thought he was very good today," Lampard told Goal. "I spoke about quality and experience before the game and he brought both of those and it affects others around him, which I think he did."

Silva, 36, has been a consistent defender throughout his career. With the way that he has played for Chelsea, he’s proven to be a trusted workhorse on the field.

"He was a big plus in terms of getting the clean sheet. Over the season, I will manage him and I have a very close relationship with him already even if he uses a translator,” the coach said.

On a personal note, Lampard sees a lot of himself in Silva as he demonstrated the same amount of grit defensively during the homestretch of his playing years.

"I will always work closely with him, and I remember being in the same position myself towards the end of my career, in the last year in the Premier League. So I will be very aware of maintenance training and his selection as we want him to play as many games as we can to be at his optimum level," he shared.

Although Chelsea settled for a scoreless draw with Sevilla, Lampard stressed that he is fine with how the match unfolded, given that they were up against a high-quality team.

"The clean sheet was a big deal for us today because they can give you a lot of problems. They play a physical way, a distinct style which made them hard to press and we matched them. I feel the two teams slightly worked each other out,” he explained.

Chelsea’s next match is against Manchester United on Saturday under the English Premier League banner.