Micah Richards has said on BBC Radio 5 Live (7:23pm, September 20, 2021) that he was stunned at how Chelsea central defender Thiago Silva got the better of Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min this past weekend.
What’s the story?
Chelsea won 3-0 against Tottenham away from home at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Premier League this past Sunday.
All three goals in the London derby came in the second half.
Brazilian defender Thiago scored the opening goal with a brilliant header.
The 36-year-old was also a rock at the back and kept Spurs attackers Harry Kane and Son at bay.
Micah Richards’s verdict
Former Manchester City defender and BBC Sport pundit Richards was impressed by how Silva coped with Son.
The Englishman did not think that Silva would be able to stop the South Korea international forward because of his pace.
Richards said about Silva on BBC Radio 5 Live (7:23pm, September 20, 2021): “It was so easy for him. I was confused at times. I was thinking, ‘Well, with Son with his pace, intelligent runs, how is Thiago Silva going to deal with him?’
“Son and Spurs pressed really high in the first half, didn’t give Chelsea the opportunity to play like the way they wanted to do.
“But every time Thiago Silva came up against Son, he just out-strengthed him, he stepped inside and nicked to him, he dropped off when he needed to.”
Thiago Silva masterclass
Silva is one of the best central defenders in the world and reads the game extremely well.
Yes, the Brazilian is 36 now, but his positioning sense and ability to read danger is as good as ever.
Silva showed against Spurs how to defend, and perhaps the Tottenham players will have learned a thing or two.
The former Paris Saint-Germain central defender had two efforts on goal, played one key pass, had a pass accuracy of 85.5%, won four headers, took 76 touches, and made one tackle, three interceptions and six clearances.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
