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Thiago Silva’s old comments claiming Cristiano Ronaldo is easier to defend against than Lionel Messi have resurfaced ahead of Chelsea’s clash against Manchester United.
Silva, who has played against Ronaldo five times, has won just once against the Portuguese. He has also won just once against Messi. The Brazilian said that while both players are two of the best in history, it is more difficult to defend against Messi than Ronaldo:
"The small difference is that Messi, with the ball in a one-on-one or a two-on-one, is difficult to stop. With Ronaldo, I am not saying that it is easy, but one player can mark and the other can monitor - doing that gives you more security at the back. However, Messi and Ronaldo are both players capable of incredible things - like Neymar. I believe, though, that it is harder to defend against Messi than it is against Ronaldo."
One of the biggest rivalries in the history of football, Ronaldo and Messi lit up La Liga with their imperious performances for almost a decade. During this time, the rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid was easily the biggest in world football.
The difference between the tactics of both teams made for fascinating matchups, especially during the time of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho.
Thiago Silva could have his hands full against Cristiano Ronaldo on Sunday
Manchester United travel to Stamford Bridge on Sunday to take on the Premier League leaders.
While United have won just once in their last five games, Chelsea are one point clear of Liverpool, albeit with a game in hand. The European champions are a much better team than United, both on paper and on current form.
Thomas Tuchel’s three-at-the-back formation with flying full-backs and a fluid attacking unit is expected to create problems galore for United’s fragile defence. Thiago Silva belied his 37 years of age to produce a stunning goalline clearance in the 4-0 Champions League victory over Juventus in midweek. Meanwhile, Ronaldo has scored just once in his last seven Premier League games.
While Ronaldo is not the same player he was just a few years ago, he still has more than enough quality to hurt opponents, especially if provided with chances. However, against Chelsea’s compact defence, chances could be at a premium for Ronaldo.
The Blues have conceded just four goals in 12 Premier League games this season. They have not conceded more than one goal in any game across competitions this campaign. United, meanwhile, have conceded 29 times across competitions, including 21 in the Premier League. That makes Chelsea strong favourites for this league clash.
However, United do have the quality and personnel to hurt Chelsea. Despite his indifferent domestic form, Ronaldo scored for the fifth game running in the Champions League in midweek. In that 2-0 win at Villarreal that confirmed United’s passage to the Round of 16, new signing Jadon Sancho also opened his account for the club.
Ronaldo has scored a lot of late match-winners and equalisers for United this season, especially in the Champions League. However, he’s yet to score a league goal in ten games against Chelsea, something he'll look to rectify against Thiago Silva and co.
