'You hope with players of that magnitude…' – Gary Lineker on what he wants for Thiago Silva

It feels like Thiago Silva’s mistake against Newcastle at the weekend has woken the football world up to the reality that Chelsea fans have lived for a while: the defender is declining pretty fast, and doesn’t have much time left in this Chelsea team.

Gary Lineker spoke about him on his podcast this week, hoping he gets to go out on his own terms:

“[Time catches up] with us all in the end, but it is remarkable,” the former England captain said.

“Thiago Silva is coming up to 40 years old, to be playing at the level he has, it’s a wonder. You hope with players of that magnitude that the decision eventually comes down to them.”

We sympathise with Gary’s point of view. Silva is a true great of the last decade of football and should be remembered as such. What he means by the decision coming down to Silva is that he should decide to retire before he’s forced out. That doesn’t mean him picking himself every week for the rest of the season, it means the Brazil hero recognising he’s not up to it anymore and voluntarily deselecting himself, or at the very least announcing his intention to move on before he gets dropped.

Unless that happens soon, Gary may not get the romantic end he wants. Patience with the fans is wearing thin, and the management staff can’t be far behind.