Thiago Silva has explained why he is happy to be working with Thomas Tuchel for a second time and outlined his hopes for the rest of the season in an interview which was printed in the matchday programme for the Burnley game.
The Brazilian defender spent two seasons playing under Tuchel at Paris Saint-Germain, winning the French title in both of them, as well as reaching last year’s Champions League final.
While there are obviously mixed feelings for Thiago Silva following the departure of Frank Lampard as head coach, he says Tuchel’s arrival is proof that there is always something new to experience in football, even for a player who has seen so much in his long and successful career.
‘It was a really unique week for me, different to anything I’ve previously experienced, because when managers have changed before, the incoming coach has never been someone I’ve already worked with, who I already have such a good relationship with,’ Thiago Silva told the official Chelsea matchday programme ahead of Sunday’s win.
‘I had two unbelievable years with Thomas Tuchel in Paris, including getting to the final of the Champions League. That was a really great year for everyone at PSG. So it’s a special moment for me with his arrival here.
‘Before it’s always been new managers who I’ve not worked with before. So I’m left with mixed feelings. You still feel sad to see the manager leave, there’s no way around that. Sadness for one, happiness for the other. I have a really good relationship and get on well with them both. But life has to go on and we have to turn our results around.
‘I hope that Tuchel can improve us in every aspect and that we start to pick up better results. With all due respect to the teams around us, mid-table isn’t good enough; we need to be fighting further up the league.’
We are just past the halfway point in the 2020/21 Premier League season, meaning there is still plenty of time left to put together a good run of form and climb the table, as well as last-16 ties in the Champions League and FA Cup to look forward to.
Knowing our new head coach as he does, and from what he has learned about his team-mates during his first season at Chelsea, Thiago Silva is confident we can enjoy a successful second half of the season.
‘What gives me hope and motivates me, above all else, is my belief in this group, in the potential of this team,’ he said. ‘Right now, the motivation is huge to ensure that the second half of the season is a different story to the first, with more success and more wins. So that, by the end of the campaign, we’ll achieve that aim of being in the fight for silverware – whether in the Champions League or the Premier League.
‘That may seem a long way off, but if we don’t believe in ourselves, we won’t get anywhere. So it’s all about focusing on our work, focusing on our self-belief and continuing to work hard.’