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Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino insists ‘there is nothing to communicate’ over Thiago Silva’s future, despite the defender hinting his time with the club was nearing its end in the wake of Saturday’s FA Cup semi-final.
Silva, 39, was pictured in floods of tears as Chelsea’s elimination from the competition was confirmed, with Manchester City’s 1-0 victory effectively ending the the veteran Brazilian’s hopes of lifting silverware this season.
Bernardo Silva scored the only goal of the game at Wembley, less than a month on from Chelsea’s previous disappointment at the stadium when Pochettino’s men were defeated by Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.
Silva, who turns 40 in September, will be out of contract in the summer and the centre-back revealed he had already made a decision on his future as he spoke shortly after the game.
‘You are going to know in the coming days. I don’t want to say anything now after a defeat,’ the Brazilian said.
‘I’m sad about the result, but sooner or later the news will come out. I do have a decision made in my mind, but it’s not the moment to share it.
‘It’s not an individual sport, but my four years here were very good.’
Silva added: ‘Not that I didn’t believe in myself, but with my age and the intensity of this league, it’s rare to see players in a high level at 39.
‘I don’t like to talk about me, but you can see this. In the semi-final I was ready to play the extra-time!
‘I can see I still have some years in me to keep enjoying football.’
While many Chelsea fans speculated that Silva’s comments signalled the Brazilian’s impending departure, Pochettino insisted nothing had been decided as he spoke to the media this afternoon.
‘I think he was saying after [the game] that it’s not the time to talk. In the moment he wants to communicate some things, he will and, for sure, the club will communicate the situation,’ Pochettino told reporters ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Arsenal.
‘So far, we are not talking. We were involved in the semi-final of the FA Cup and now we are trying to go high in the table.
‘At the moment there is nothing to communicate, from our side.’
Pochettino remains ‘confident’ that Chelsea will close the gap on Arsenal over the coming years, reminding critics of the ‘difficult situation’ Mikel Arteta found himself in not so long ago.
‘We are confident in one day getting to the same level, of course. We are positive and always in football the most important thing is to believe,’ the Argentine added.
‘Arsenal a few years ago, they were in a different situation than today.
‘But in time, with confidence and trust in him [Arteta], they are there. Here, it is not a different thing.’
Pochettino accepts that Arsenal have a far more ‘settled’ side, though feels Chelsea’s cohesion have been badly hampered by injury problems throughout the campaign.
‘Yes, it’s true, being consistent is having all of the players fit, or higher percentage during the season. It is going to be a challenge for the next season,’ he went on.
‘Being consistent is having all of the players fighting for a place on the pitch.
‘It’s true that we didn’t have the possibility during the whole season for different circumstances to have the squad available to compete.
‘We cannot complain, that happens in football, we need to accept that.’
Despite Chelsea’s latest disappointment at Wembley, Pochettino believes the dressing room is in a positive place ahead of their trip to the Emirates on Tuesday night.
‘The mood is good. We played a very good game, we played so well against a team that is one of the best in the world,’ he continued.
‘Our performance was really good, very positive things we need to take. We conceded a goal we shouldn’t concede but that is part of football.
‘Of course, that is a good thing to keep working in this way and that is the way we need to be in the future. How can we get to this level is by working, taking decisions, trying to add to the team things that can help us to improve the level and we are working on this.
‘It is the first season with so many circumstances we are dealing with. The evolution is good.’
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