Thiago Silva's wife apologises after calling for Mauricio Pochettino to be sacked
Thiago Silva’s wife has apologised for an “outburst” in which she appeared to call for Mauricio Pochettino to be sacked as Chelsea manager after their chastening 4-2 home defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
It follows talks between Pochettino and his most experienced player over a social media post by the latter’s wife, Belle, in which she had written: “It’s time to change. If you wait any longer it will be too late.”
In her first post since, she wrote on X on Wednesday:
I'm sorry that my personal outburst as a passionate Chelsea fan has caused such an impact. I'm passionate about the team, I thrive on victories and I'm saddened by defeats.
We all want the same thing, a winning team, come on Chelsea!!💙💙💙— Belle Silva (@bellesilva) February 7, 2024
Her apology came before Chelsea’s FA Cup fourth-round replay at Aston Villa, due to take place with the London club lying a lowly 11th in the Premier League, 15 points off the top four.
Chelsea were jeered at half-time and at the end of Sunday’s defeat, which left them closer to the relegation zone than a guaranteed Champions League spot.
Addressing the Silva issue earlier this week, Pochettino said that Thiago had come to speak to him on Tuesday morning.
He said: “I’m not going to talk in the way we were talking. I think the important thing is he came and wanted to talk with me. And of course, he knows me after more than 10 years, [and] who I am. We are a very strong coaching staff and the way we operate. Of course, he came to talk and we talked and I think that was private. And that’s it. It’s a private thing to keep inside.”
Pochettino said that the players understood the frustration of the supporters, who chanted for former manager José Mourinho and ex-owner Roman Abramovich during Sunday’s defeat. He said that his players wanted to establish a connection with the supporters.
