Jamie Carragher urges Chelsea to move on from Thiago Silva after Axel Disasi and Levi Colwill masterclass | OneFootball

Chelsea must move on from Thiago Silva and build for the future after a superb defensive display against Manchester City, says Jamie Carragher.

The Blues were without their veteran Brazilian defender for Saturday night’s dramatic Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium, where Raheem Sterling’s first-half goal had Mauricio Pochettino’s side on course for a shock victory before Rodri fired home an emphatic equaliser with just seven minutes to go.

Despite that late heartbreak, it was still a valiant performance and result from resurgent Chelsea, who had already eased the pressure on head coach Pochettino in recent weeks with back-to-back 3-1 away wins over Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.

Central to their latest impressive display were the individual performances of Axel Disasi and Levi Colwill, who formed an excellent partnership at centre-back with Silva and Benoit Badiashile both sidelined with groin injuries.

Disasi earned man-of-the-match honours and was a key reason behind Erling Haaland producing an unusually profligate display as the reigning Premier League Golden Boot winner had nine attempts and three major chances without scoring, while Colwill also shone having been thrust straight back into the action following a hamstring injury that kept him out for four matches.

And Carragher believes that such a strong defensive showing from Chelsea against a team that had been on a stunning run of 11 consecutive victories across all competitions before Saturday shows why Silva should not regain his starting berth when he recovers full fitness.

Sidelined: Thiago Silva is currently out injured for Chelsea with a groin issue

REUTERS

The Brazilian turns 40 in September and is already Chelsea’s oldest outfield player of all time as he approaches the final months of his latest one-year contract that expires in the summer.

Despite his advancing years and the recent furore caused by his wife Belle’s social media outburst, Silva has still started 26 matches for the Blues so far this term, including 22 of their 25 league games to date.

“A couple of big away games, you go back to Aston Villa in the FA Cup and here today, where Thiago Silva hasn’t been involved... and he’s been brilliant for Chelsea since he’s come in,” Carragher said on Sky Sports after Chelsea’s draw at City.

“I think with the age of him now and his contract is up at the end of the season, when you see those two (Disasi and Colwill) playing there together, I think it makes it very difficult for Thiago Silva to get back into the team between now and the end of the season unless someone gets injured.

“I think Chelsea, yes they’ve got the Carabao Cup final [against Liverpool next weekend], but they’ve almost got to start building something for the future because there’s not an awful lot to play for after the cup final.

“I think looking at those two as a partnership and maybe another younger centre-back, I’m not sure who else they’ve got in the squad, but I think the days of Thiago Silva playing for Chelsea have got to come to an end.”

While a final decision on Silva’s future has not yet been decided or communicated, there have been strong reports that he will return to his native Brazil upon the conclusion of his latest Chelsea contract in the summer.

The former Paris Saint-Germain stalwart recently hinted that his four-year stint at Stamford Bridge was coming to a close, commenting that “with each game I have the feeling that it's ending”.

He added on his future after the Carabao Cup semi-final win over Middlesbrough last month: “I don't have anything scheduled for later. There's nothing scheduled here. I'm just looking to have fun.

“We know [my career] is almost over, but it's not the end yet, so pick the right time. I'm still able to maintain a good performance. My numbers are good. This gives me peace of mind to continue.