Chelsea FC boss Frank Lampard backs Thiago Silva after Premier League debut is lost in translation
Frank Lampard is confident Thiago Silva will quickly improve his grasp of English and has backed the Brazilian to get over his mistake on his Premier League debut.
Silva made a horrible error for West Brom’s second goal as Chelsea dropped points with a 3-3 draw at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
The veteran centre-back, signed on a free from Paris Saint-German this summer, does not speak English - but Lampard is sure his limited understanding of the language will get better.
Silva is taking English lessons five days a week and Lampard said: “It is something we have work through because it is what it is, we have not had any time.
"Thiago turns up here pretty fresh and he is in and around us, I am sure he will learn it quickly.
“I am not sure how relative it was on Saturday, but he does not speak the language very well.
"Some players in the squad do speak languages that he speaks, French being a main one, but we have lads here speaking Portuguese and Italian.
"If the language is a slight barrier, we need time to work. That is what we have in front of us.”
Despite his communication problems, Lampard believes Silva is still able to be a leader for Chelsea at the back.
“Of course he is,” added the Chelsea manager. “And he showed that on Saturday.
"People are going to want to talk about the goal and that is fair play, that is the nature of being the top footballer that he has been throughout his career.
"Other than that, we saw his leadership and his qualities and we are going to see more of that.”
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