Chelsea stars 'perplexed' by Pochettino 'disrespect' towards Silva

Suraj Radia

• 12 Dec 2023 13:28 CST
• 3 min read

Chelsea’s players are said to be ‘perplexed’ by Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to opt against making Thiago Silva captain while Reece James has been absent, with suggestions in the dressing room that the Brazilian has been ‘disrespected’.

James is set for another spell on the sidelines after suffering a reoccurrence of his ongoing hamstring issues, leaving Chelsea without their club captain until March at the earliest.

Ben Chilwell is the club’s vice-captain but the left-back has been injured since September, with Conor Gallagher being handed the armband in the meantime.

However, Gallagher missed the loss to Manchester United last week and Pochettino chose 20-year-old Levi Colwill to captain Chelsea for the first time, in only his 13th start for the club.

According to The Guardian, while Chelsea’s squad remains supportive of Pochettino, some players ‘cannot understand’ why Silva does not captain the side when James and Chilwell are out, given his experience and pedigree.

The 39-year-old has played more minutes than any outfield player for Chelsea this season but the captaincy issue has led to talk of ‘disrespect’ to Silva and an unhappiness around a situation that some players feel ‘captures the side’s lack of direction’.

Chelsea looking to future as Silva enters final months of Chelsea career

Silva was expected to be named Chelsea’s captain in the summer after Cesar Azpilicueta left the club but Pochettino opted to hand the title to James, which was seen as a decision led by the Blues’ focus on youth talent.

Pochettino has insisted that there is no problem with Silva being overlooked and that the veteran does not need the formal title of captain to be a leader.

Some also believe that the Chelsea manager is doing the right thing by looking to the future and giving chances to younger players, particularly with Silva unlikely to be at the club next season.

Silva’s contract is due to expire next summer and he has been vocal over his desire to finish his career in his native Brazil, while James’ recurring injuries means Chelsea have been keen to look towards growth in leadership from within their young stars.