Thomas Tuchels explains decision to leave out Thiago Silva for Chelsa against Porto
Speaking to BT Sport (h/t Metro) on Wednesday night, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel revealed that Thiago Silva missed the clash against FC Porto as he was not completely match-fit.
However, he was fully fit to start their last Premier League game against West Bromwich Albion. The Brazilian was torrid in that outing and cost him an embarrassing loss against a relegation-threatened side.
The former PSG defender was sent off just before the half-hour mark with the Blues 1-0 in front. But his red card paved the way for the Baggies to score 5 and end the match with a 5-2 win over the top-4 hopefuls.
But Tuchel confirmed that Silva was not dropped because of his outing against West Brom. The Brazilian international was simply not fully match fit.
“Well, he had only half an hour and all the other guys are totally fit. It’s not the moment to improve your fitness level in a quarter-final. Thiago is a super important player but is not fully fit for 90 minutes on highest level.”
Positive news all around
The Blues opted with a 3-man centre-back trio of Antonio Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and the returning Andreas Christensen, who sat out our last league game before being brought on after Silva’s sending off.
N’Golo Kante returned from his injury to make the bench. The Frenchman replaced Mason Mount in the 80th minute when Chelsea were 1-0 up.
The decision to go with that backline worked well as the Blues kept a clean sheet. An 85th-minute goal from Ben Chilwell meant that the 2012 UEFA Champions League winners had one foot in the semi-final this year.
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The return leg will now be played on Tuesday night, with Chelsea having two precious away goals. But before that, a London derby against Crystal Palace on Saturday awaits.