Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger has been speaking about teammate Thiago Silva this week.
When fit, Rudiger and Silva make up two thirds of Chelsea’s three-man defence. And despite their struggles midway through the season, the Blues still boast one of the best defensive records in the Premier League.
Thomas Tuchel’s side have conceded just 19 goals in 28 league games, with Manchester City (18) the only team to have allowed fewer.
One of the reasons for this is obviously the quality of Silva and Rudiger. However, in a recent interview, the latter admitted that it can actually be difficult to play alongside Silva due to the language barrier between the pair:
"Because of the language barrier, it's difficult,” Rudiger said. “People like him, he's an OG. He talks on the pitch."
Rudiger to Barcelona
Rudiger may not have to play alongside Thiago Silva for much longer, though, as the German is out of contract in the summer and could leave on a free transfer.
Recent reports have even suggested that the centre-back's agent contacted Barcelona after their 4-0 drubbing of Real Madrid to discuss the possibility of a move to the Camp Nou, prior to the March international break:
As for Silva, he is set to remain at Chelsea until the end of next season, and recently opened up on his remarkable longevity: "The first thing is preparation, the organisation, not just from the players but from all our the staff. I have a really good relationship with the staff.
"It's great if I am feeling tired I can speak to the coaching staff, and I can say that it might be risky to play certain matches, and we think about it and we decide whether it's best to play or to rest. The relationship we have means we can speak freely to each other. We don't hide things, and we speak clearly.
"Then it's about recovery after every match. I am somebody who doesn't go out much, I stay at home with my family, and I recover at home as well.
"I'm one of the first to arrive at the training ground and one of the last to leave, because I do my recovery here. I'm 37 so I think it is necessary to do the maximum, especially when you're at a club like Chelsea who have given me this new opportunity."
:quality(70)/s3.amazonaws.com/arc-authors/xlmedia/e9541171-6e36-41e8-a7cb-b5d9449f56a1.png)
