Chelsea defender Thiago Silva says he's had to adjust to the intensity of the Premier League in his first season in England.
The 36 year-old is available for today's clash with West Brom.
"You have to perform at the highest possible level, especially when you're in a big club like Chelsea," he told the club's website. "This is a competition that requires everything from you in every game, every minute, every second.
"You can be winning 2-0 with five minutes to go yet the game has not ended yet. There are things that could only happen in a Premier League match, which is why it is so exciting and one of the greatest leagues in the world."
The 36-year-old has not played for two months after a recurring thigh problem and manager Thomas Tuchel revealed his defender had taken extra care to be 100 per cent fit before returning to action, which he could do in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off today.
"I know what he's doing to be fit,' added the boss. 'He takes a lot of care so he can play at this kind of level and it was great for him to take this step at the end of his career, when some players would try to take it a little bit more easy.
"When he's injured, he takes it very seriously so it takes sometimes a bit longer for him because he wants to come back when he feels absolutely safe. This is a part of his personality that I can respect and once he gives it a go like he has this week then you can be absolutely sure that it's a green light so he's ready for tomorrow."
