Thiago Silva was replaced during the first half of Sunday’s 2-0 league loss against Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea have since disclosed that he had a ligament injury in his knee.
Harry Kane landed on the 38-year-old while attempting to block a shot. He received physiotherapy before going back into the game, but after falling again, Wesley Fofana was brought in to replace him.
The injury occurs just as Graham Potter is about to enter a pivotal week for Chelsea and Silva. Before playing Borussia Dortmund in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 matches, the Blues take on Leeds on Saturday.
With the unavailability of Cesar Azpilicueta, the manager, who is under extreme pressure, has leaned on Silva to captain the team.
The Brazilian’s injury will only make life more difficult for Potter, who rested him against Southampton in an effort to prevent further harm to his physique.
Chelsea released a statement (h/t Football.London), through the club’s official website and emphasised the length of Silva’s injury, saying:
“Having sustained a knee injury during the first half of Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, Thiago underwent further assessment and a scan on his return to the training centre on Monday.”
This is a major setback for Chelsea because Silva has been a dependable player ever since he joined the team, and has featured in almost every game for the Blues.
He had a significant impact from the back, so Potter will now need to identify an alternative who can occupy the right side of the defence.
Potter will now have to select between Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, or Kalidou Koulibaly regardless of our depth in defence, while Benoit Badashile has also been promising alongside Silva.
or he can rotate amongst them to see who can fill in for Brazil’s absence. The three defenders will now need to rise up and demonstrate their expertise.
And they will have the chance to acquire more playing time; these next six weeks will be extremely important for Fofana, Koulibaly, and Chalobah. Hopefully, Silva is back within the stipulated time and is the same player as he was before the injury – because despite his age, he has been our best defender for over a year.
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