Lampard reveals why he dropped Thiago Silva in the Chelsea squad to face Krasnodar
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has a fully fit squad to choose from ahead of the Champions League tie against Krasnodar, with Kepa Arrizabalaga the only injured player in the team.
The Blues boss named a 22-man squad for the trip to Russia, and unsurprisingly, Thiago Silva was missing in the squad.
Speaking in his press conference on Tuesday evening ahead of the tie, Lampard refused to dwell on the veteran Brazilian defender.
Asked about Silva’s absence, Lampard insisted there was no injury issue and that he was focused on the group that did travel.
“Everyone else here is fit and available,” said Lampard.
Although Lampard refused to dwell on Silva, he had previously revealed how he’d use the 36-year-old defender this season.
“I thought he was very good today,” Lampard said after the match against Sevilla. “I spoke about quality and experience before the game and he brought both of those and it affects others around him, which I think he did.
“He was a big plus in terms of getting the clean sheet. Over the season, I will manage him and I have a very close relationship with him already even if he uses a translator.
“I will always work closely with him and I remember being in the same position myself towards the end of my career, in the last year in the Premier League.
“So I will be very aware of maintenance training and his selection as we want him to play as many games as we can to be at his optimum level.”