Thiago Silva concerned by ‘egos’ in Chelsea dressing room ahead of emotional exit
'These boys need to do more.'
Thiago Silva has taken a parting shot at his Chelsea team-mates and their ‘egos’ as he prepares to leave Stamford Bridge.
The Brazilian defender confirmed last month that he would leave Chelsea at the end of the season.
Silva, 39, has made 154 appearances for the Blues following his move from Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 and helped Chelsea win the Champions League a year after joining.
It was recently announced that Silva would re-join Brazilian side Fluminense on a two-year deal following his Chelsea exit.
Silva has sent an intriguing message to his Chelsea team-mates ahead of their final Premier League game against Bournemouth, insisting their struggles ‘will hardly change’ unless players put their ‘egos’ to one side.
The modern-day great also said the Chelsea players would have had rocks thrown at them if they were playing to the level they have for much of the season in his native Brazil.
‘Thiago knows what it means to wear a Chelsea shirt, you know,’ he told Sky Sports. ‘And if I have a message to send to the boys that are here today, I hope they understand that everything they did to get to Chelsea has to be worth it.
‘Because the season we’re having is not worthy of Chelsea. It’s not. And I think they have to do more next year, they need to do more.
‘If you look at the games, the fans never left the team, never. We were in ninth place, eighth, right? And the fans were always there.
‘They booed us off a little at the end of the match, but they’re always there in the stands, always with 40,000, 45,000. If we were somewhere else, they could throw rocks at us – we know that happens in our country.
‘So these boys need to be aware that Chelsea has to fight for the top positions. If we take a little of our ego and put it in favour of the team, I think it will work. If we don’t do that, the situation will hardly change unfortunately.’
Chelsea were occupying a mid-table position for most of the 2023-24 campaign but have enjoyed a resurgence recently to climb up to sixth.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have won four games in a row and will qualify for Europe if they avoid defeat to Bournemouth on the final day.
Despite Chelsea’s recent upturn in form, the campaign has still been a disappointment for a club who have spent over £1billion on new signings under Todd Boehly.
Assessing Chelsea’s season, Pochettino said at his final pre-match press conference: ‘If you ask me if I’m happy with the way the team has evolved, yes yes [I am so happy].
‘In the past 26-27 games, we are in the top four – but it’s still not enough. We want to evolve and improve. But I am so proud [with all the circumstances].’
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