Over the past couple of seasons, part of the Paris Saint-Germain fanbase has wanted to move on from Thiago Silva. Whether it’s his age or captaining squads that were part of disappointing results, regardless, some supporters don’t want the club to renew his contract. Nonetheless, after Friday’s surprise loss to Dijon FCO, it shows that PSG still needs the veteran defender.
With T.Silva playing, PSG gets 2.49 points per Ligue 1 game.
Without him it's down to 1.88.
Also PSG gets scored on .71 goal per game when he is playing and 1.27 when he is not.
(Thibaut Brossard @CulturePSG)#renewomonstroscontract #PSG
— Ofthedoor (@Ofthedoor1) November 2, 2019
Silva will not have eye-popping defensive numbers. Using statistics courtesy of SofaScore show that although the Brazilian may not lead the squad in clearances and interceptions; however, he does lead them in categories where he uses his veteran experience, which is the duels.
Despite being 35-years-old, Silva leads the team in the percentage of ground duels won, winning 80 percent. Presnel Kimpembe is next as he wins 77 percent. There’s a significant drop off after those two. In third is Abdou Diallo, who wins 56 percent of his ground duels. When it comes to the percentage of total duels won, Silva is second behind Kimpembe.
Kimpembe is having a bounceback season, and some credit should go to the veteran Silva. Having the Brazilian alongside him, Kimpembe knows he has some reliable and all he has to worry about is doing his job.
Contributions on Offense
On offense, Silva can help build up the attack from the defensive zone. Overall, the captain leads all defenders when it comes to total passes per 90, averaging 87.2. Furthermore, he averages 83.5 accurate passes per 90, along with completing 96% of his passes, which leads the team.
Regardless of which type of pass he does, Silva is one of the leaders on defense. When it comes to accurate short-passes, he completes 79.6 per 90. Then in the long-ball pass, the Brazilian is averaging 3.8 accurate long-ball pass, which is second among defenders.
Whether it’s on defense or helping build up the attack, PSG still needs Silva in their starting XI. Perhaps the loss to Dijon allows for some supporters to realize that the club doesn’t have a replacement. Also, it’s not a crazy idea for the club to renew his contract, and although the captain has his issues, supporters shouldn’t overlook the impact he has in matches.
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