Chelsea boss Frank Lampard is delighted counting on the winning experience of Thiago Silva.
The Brazilian, who turned 36 yesterday, is set to be involved against Barnsley at Stamford Bridge tonight, his first game since the Champions League final with Paris Saint-Germain in August.
Lampard said: "Thiago Silva is a leader and I spoke to lots of people that have worked with him before he came, out of interest to find out if what he looked like from afar was true, and everybody said the same thing: his absolute commitment to being a winner, to helping his team-mates, to improving all the time.
"I loved his statements about winning and winning and winning. But they're easy to make those statements.
"It's about how you train and your actions and the first week he's been with us - even though he doesn't speak the language well - he gives off the feeling of someone who will affect people around him, organise people around him and drive the team.
"That's certainly something we needed. We have good, experienced players; we have a fantastic captain at this club in [Cesar] Azpilicueta, but someone like Thiago will massively help in terms how they hold themselves day to day and how players around them look up to them."
