It’s easy to understand why Frank Lampard entrusted Thiago Silva with the captain’s armband for Chelsea’s clash against West Brom on Saturday.
Silva is a proven winner and has bags of experience at the highest level. Despite the fact that he hasn’t learned English yet, it still seemed like a sensible move.
“He’s not speaking the language enough to do it in that sense, but it doesn’t matter with someone like him,” Lampard explained pre-match, per Metro.
“He delivers it with actions and presence and how he is with people around him.”
Yet any confidence that Silva’s teammates would have got from playing with a seven-time Ligue 1 winner vanished in the 25th minute when the 36-year-old made a huge mistake to hand West Brom their second goal of the game.
The Brazilian lost control of the ball following a simple pass and allowed Callum Robinson to put the Baggies 2-0 up.
Azpilicueta was already a popular figure among Chelsea’s fans, but to see the way in which he took over and acted like a true leader has further enhanced their admiration for the 31-year-old.
Proper captain ? pic.twitter.com/NWgPjYGHKF
— SNM (@JackCook95) September 27, 2020