Thiago Silva has accused Chelsea’s hierarchy of failing to stick with a strategy, and believes this has contributed to disharmony in the dressing room. The Brazilian defender was emotional after the club’s Champions League exit to Real Madrid on Tuesday evening, and believes that the club’s poor transfer strategy has been a major factor in their downfall this season. Silva said: “We can’t be blaming the managers if we don’t take responsibility. It’s a hard period for the club, with a lot of indecision. Change of ownership, new players arriving – we had to increase the size of the changing room because it didn’t fit the size of the squad. A positive point is that there are amazing players in the squad but on the other hand there are always players that are going to be unhappy. There is always going to be someone upset because not everyone can play. The manager can only pick 11 from a squad of 30-something – that’s tough.”
Silva also dismissed suggestions that a new manager could immediately improve Chelsea’s situation, saying: “Everybody talks too much about replacing managers. I think we, as players, must also take responsibility. We have had three managers this season, plus a fourth with Bruno where we failed to win. We have lost today and with Lampard we have failed to win. Everybody is talking about the manager but we must look at what has been done wrong and try to change.”
The Brazilian also acknowledged that the defeat to Real Madrid is likely to be the last Champions League game of his illustrious career, saying: “It has been a very difficult season and a frustrating one for me personally. It might have been my last match in the Champions League. I have only one year left on my contract and my career is reaching the end. It’s a very sad day. But I think we must continue working to try to win as many matches until the end of the season.”