LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 03: Kurt Zouma of Chelsea celebrates with teammates after scoring his sides second goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on October 03, 2020 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Speaking to the club’s official site, Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma has opened up on his partnership with Brazilian veteran Thiago Silva.
Silva joined the Blues on a free in the summer. Despite his age, his experience and knowledge of the game has shone through in a series of commanding displays at the back.
While we aren’t yet defensively impregnable, the Brazilian has helped bring around a marked improvement in our organization and doggedness.
“He is also a leader in the team, so there are many things to learn off him.”
Zouma, who has so far struggled to fulfil his potential, has looked a different beast beside Silva. The Brazilian’s abilities have rubbed off on the Frenchman who is seeing his stock rise.
“He’s a very calm guy. He has got experience. He knows the game very well.”
Silva and Zouma are Chelsea’s first-choice defensive starters. The likes of Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Fikayo Tomori have all found game-time hard to come by.
Zouma was full of praise for a number of traits posessed by Silva. He praised the Brazilian’s positoning on and off the ball.
“His positioning is always good defensively when we don’t have the ball, and with the ball he can find passes.”
In an age where teams counter-attack at pace, it is important to always be positionally aware. There are few better in the aspect than Silva.
At 36, Silva is not a long-term option for Chelsea. In the years to come, Zouma will need to take the mantle as the senior centre-back and continue implementing the Brazilian’s lessons.
For now, he is still the student.
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