'Who cares?' – Rio Ferdinand defends under fire Chelsea star

Rio Ferdinand has responded to criticisms of Thiago Silva after the Brazilian struggled against Newcastle, by comparing himself to Silva at the same age.

Silva became Chelsea’s oldest ever player when he featured at the weekend, and sadly he looked a bit like it. His mistake on the ball could happen to anyone, but unfortunately here it was Silva, and it all added to the mounting criticism.

“At 36, 37 I was on the way to A&E after almost every game I was in so much pain. It was hard. I don’t know how Thiago Silva is doing it. It’s unreal. You’ve got to respect his professionalism. He’s had a bad game this weekend, who cares?”

Well we respect your argument Rio, but frankly we care if he has a bad game. OK maybe we can forgive a bad game, but a few bad games in a row, a few bad games in a season… it all really adds up. There are now serious questions about Silva’s place in the team, despite his importance as one of the few experienced veterans in the squad.

Ferdinand is right that he was far, far worse at the same age – but that doesn’t mean Silva should continue to play if he’s not up to it.