Thiago Silva scored his first Chelsea goal in the victory over Sheffield United, and Frank Lampard couldn’t be happier with the defender’s “big influence”.
Lampard singled out Silva for praise in the aftermath of Chelsea’s resounding 4-1 win over Sheffield United on Saturday evening.
The former Paris Saint-Germain skipper headed home Hakim Ziyech’s corner in the second-half to register his first Blues goal to double his side’s advantage, and put the game out of Sheffield United’s reach.
Aside from one poor pass, Silva didn’t put a foot wrong otherwise and seemed comfortable dealing with the visitors’ offense.
“He’s been brilliant,” Lampard said on the Brazilian’s impact on the club’s website.
“His level of performance since he’s been here, without much of a pre-season, his influence on the group, his individual performance, his preparation between games, how he attacks training, and how diligently he looks at opposition when we are having meetings.
“He wants to know so I have plenty of conversations with him pre-game. And then he gets his goal. He’s had a big influence since he’s been here.”
The 36-year-old will probably need to carefully manage his minutes this season in Chelsea’s congested fixture list, along with the quick turnaround from the previous campaign.
Lampard added: “I am very open to make sure we give him the best rest in between and make things easy for him.
“He looks fit, he is fit, he’s fresh and he is helping and rubbing off on others around him. Long may that continue.”
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