Marco Silva's standing in English football is confusing to many. Arriving at Hull in 2017, the Portuguese manager was handed the unenviable task of keeping a woeful team in the division. He gave it a decent go, although the club were still relegated with a few games to spare.
Silva did his reputation no harm during his time there, however, and was given another crack at the Premier League cherry with Watford. For a while, things hardly could have gone better. The Hornets flew out of the gates early in the season, and looked like being the surprise package of the league.
They were punching well above their weight in terms of their league position, and all while playing an attractive and expansive brand of football. It wasn't long before Everton, who had recently parted ways with manager Ronald Koeman, came calling.
Silva was keen to make the move, but Watford were steadfast in their refusal to let him leave. He stayed at Vicerage Road, but results started to deteriorate at a rapid pace. Only a couple of months after turning down a sizeable compensation package from Everton, Watford sacked him.
Everyone assumed he would find his way to Goodison Park this past summer, and so it proved to be the case. Everton fans were thrilled to get the young, attacking manager that they had long been calling out for.
As has become Silva's calling card, things started out quite well. After the dreary football employed by Sam Allardyce last season, the team was a breath of fresh air. Everything was going swimmingly, and then all of a sudden, it wasn't.
The last couple of months have been absolutely disastrous. Starting with the late Merseyside derby defeat at Anfield, Everton have won only four of their last 12 games, and one of those was against Lincoln City. They have conceded 24 goals in that time.
Tonight's loss to Millwall in the FA Cup is the lowest point so far. Having twice led in the game, they would lose 3-2 after a late winner from the Championship side. Marco Silva could hardly believe what he was watching from the sideline, but if he was paying attention for the past couple of months it should not have been all that surprising.
Look at his overall record in England:
The truth of the matter is Everton can't defend, and that has been a trademark of all Silva teams since his arrival in England. Unsurprisingly, the idea of Marco Silva is starting to lose its shimmer for a lot of onlookers.
Marco Silva's zonal marking system on this team will eventually cost him his job.
If he doesn't adjust his ways then he's going to join Roberto Martinez.— Tony Scott (@Tony_Scott11) January 26, 2019
A couple of good months at Watford conned most into thinking Marco Silva isn’t a fraud
— John O'Sullivan (@NotoriousJOS) January 26, 2019
🙈 Everton managerial records...
Big Sam:
- Games: 26
- Wins: 10
- Draws: 7
- Losses: 9
Marco Silva:
- Games: 27
- Wins: 10
- Draws: 7
- Losses: 10#MILEVE pic.twitter.com/dgL9suUtno— The Sportsman (@TheSportsman) January 26, 2019
Groundhog Day. Marco Silva's first and last season. New manager again incoming. Moshiri will get rid.
— John Merro (@johnmerro1) January 26, 2019
So why is Silva held in such high regard by some? Well this writer would suggest there are a few possible reasons.
The first one, and I hate for this to sound like a 'proper football man' opinion, is that he is foreign. Managers arriving in England from the continent are usually naturally held in a higher regard than domestic coaches, and quite often for good reason. These are coaches that have achieved enough overseas to earn a job in the wealthiest league in the world. But not all of them work out.
The second reason is his age. The world of football loves an up and coming young manager, and it is seen as hugely progressive to bring onboard a hip youthful coach. We all remember the Andre Villas-Boas experience. Silva falls into that category as well, and the failings of a manager are more easily forgiven if he is somewhat diminutive in age.
Silva also, in theory, plays an attractive brand of football. I say in theory, because it doesn't actually work a lot of the time. The inconsistent bursts of attacking football are usually accompanied by consistent incompetent defensive displays. That is the Marco Silva experience.
Finally, he talks a big game. Listening to him speak in one of his post match press conferences, it is easy to fall into the trap of blaming other sources for his team's poor form. How could a guy who speaks so eloquently possibly be at fault?
Add all of these aspects together and you have yourself a guy who in theory is a top manager, and in practice is something else entirely.
We will likely see him part ways with Everton in the not too distant future, and we will wonder how it all went wrong. The answer is, the same way it did everywhere else. No need to worry though, it won't be too long before another club falls for the enigma that is Marco Silva.
