Rumors and leaks abound in the days following Chelsea’s extremely concerning loss.

The line is on Thiago Silva by Jacob Steinberg. He claims that Mauricio Pochettino’s choice to name the Brazilian captain while Reece James is sidelined with an injury has left the Chelsea players “perplexed.”

Conor Gallagher is one of the players who has stepped in for James and Ben Chilwell during their frequent absences, and it seems that certain members of the team believe the Brazilian has been “disrespected” by this choice.

Steinberg notes that Pochettino wasn’t solely to blame for the choice, as the Argentine had stated it was “taken by me… and the club” when he made it back in the summer.

Behind the scenes, everything seems a little bit like petty politics. Who is captain doesn’t matter while you’re winning. More likely than not, Thiago Silva’s lack of proficiency in English is the cause of his inability to handle the tedious media duties that come with being captain, rather than something more nefarious. Silva’s standing in the team is well-known to all, armband or not.