Thiago Silva's Motivational Art Versus Cole Palmer's Coldness

NEW YORK, MONDAY — Fluminense can advance far with the quality of their existing squad, thanks to the motivational push from their captain Thiago Silva. Chelsea is formidable in the knockout stage with the return of attacking midfielder Cole Palmer to his best form. Silva and Palmer will lead their respective teams to the final match.

The Fluminense story will continue at MetLife Stadium, New York, on Wednesday (9/7/2025) at 02:00 WIB. The "dark horse" team from Brazil will challenge Chelsea in the semifinals of the 2025 Club World Cup. Fluminense is led by the legendary 40-year-old defender, Silva, who is a former key player for Chelsea.

Silva has passed his golden phase. The speed and agility of the defender have diminished with age. However, his leadership qualities and maturity have never faded; instead, they have shone even brighter over time. Fluminense coach Renato Gaucho stated that Silva is the main reason they were able to reach the top four.

Fluminense's presence in the semifinals, after defeating Champions League finalist Inter Milan and the wealthy club Al Hilal, is quite surprising. They are the only remaining team from outside Europe. While the other three semifinalists have squad valuations exceeding one billion euros, they lag far behind with only 86 million euros (IDR 1.63 trillion).

"If you had asked me earlier whether we would get this far, I would have said that we are still far from it. We know the financial scale of other teams; the difference is very significant. It is unreasonable. However, often the familial atmosphere we have provides unexpected strength," said Silva.

Non-technical factors, such as fighting spirit and determination, serve as distinguishing elements. All of this is ignited by Silva, who is the most respected figure within the team. When Silva speaks, everyone listens. "Thiago is a monster, a leader, and a lethal player. He is both a coach and a captain on the field," said Gaucho.

Remarkably, Silva is very skilled at igniting the team's spirit. He is an expert at choosing words for motivation. Before the round of 16 match against Inter, for instance, Silva recounted an emotional experience during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The story was about his adoptive father, the figure who brought him to this point.

Silva regrets not having the opportunity to visit his father in the hospital. After losing to Germany in the World Cup, he immediately left to undergo preseason training with Paris Saint-Germain. In his first match with PSG, his father was reported to have already passed away. He spoke with a trembling voice, while holding back tears.

Silva conveyed that regret always comes at the end. He also urged his teammates not to repeat similar mistakes. In this context, Silva hopes that the players will give their all on the field to avoid any regrets after the final whistle. The match ended with Fluminense's victory over Inter with a score of 2-0.

Chelsea fully understands the influence of Silva both on and off the field. Silva played 155 times for the London club and contributed to the Champions League trophy in the 2020-21 season. He also assisted in the transition process of "The Blues" before being succeeded by coach Enzo Maresca last season.

Marc Cucurella, the Chelsea wing-back, is one of the players who has learned a lot from him at Stamford Bridge. "He is a football legend. A top player. It is an honor for us to have the opportunity to face him again. Hopefully, we can do good things, win the match, and play in the final," he stated.

In Silva's final season with Chelsea, 2024-25, Palmer emerged as the standout player. He scored 22 goals and provided 11 assists in a single season in the Premier League. Following Silva's departure, Palmer struggled to maintain that momentum in the last season. The England national team midfielder experienced a drought of goals and assists for four months.

Nevertheless, Palmer is starting to return to his best form ahead of facing Silva and his teammates. He demonstrated his "coolness" in the last two knockout matches, against Palmeiras and Benfica. "Cold Palmer," as he is nicknamed, has become the main inspiration for the team's attack, contributing one goal and one assist.

Maresca assigned a different role to the player, on the left wing during the match against Benfica (Round of 16) and returned to an attacking midfielder position when facing Palmeiras (quarter-finals). He performed both roles equally well.

Palmer's best version was seen again in the quarter-finals. He scored his signature goal against Palmeiras with a turn in front of the penalty area and a low shot.

The goal was Palmer's second since January, having previously scored against Liverpool in May.

"I do not pay much attention to them (haters on social media). I am happy to score again, but I know I must continue to improve myself and strive to reach a new level," said the 23-year-old player.

Despite being superior on paper, Maresca is reluctant to underestimate Fluminense. As is known, Chelsea has always struggled when facing representatives from Brazil throughout the tournament. They previously lost to Flamengo 1-3 in the group stage. "The Blues" also won against Palmeiras 2-1 thanks to an own goal from the opposing player at the end of the match.

"The energy from the Brazilian teams in this competition is very high. Perhaps because they have just started a new season, while we have just finished ours. I watched some of their matches (Fluminense). They are very organized and have good players," said Maresca. (AP/AFP)