Marco Silva: Fulham manager’s reputation enhanced by historic Chelsea win
He is the beneficiary of finally taking root at the club, giving the coaching abilities he has been recognized for throughout his career time to take effect.
He is still highly regarded at Hull City despite his five-month spell from January to May 2017 ending in relegation.
Silva made an impressive start after being appointed Watford manager but his attitude soured when Everton approached him in November following Ronald Koeman’s sacking A transformation has occurred. The offers were rejected in acrimony but Watford’s form began to decline.
Watford had lost just four of their 11 games before Everton came close, but then they lost eight of their next 13 games. Silva was sacked in January.
Watford firmly placed the blame on Everton in a statement at the time, saying: “The catalyst was this approach, which the board believes has led to a significant deterioration in focus and results to the point that Watford’s long-term Ford’s future is at stake.”
Everton eventually signed their player in the summer of 2018 but dumped him 18 months later, before Silva’s managerial career took him to Craven Cottage.
Silva looks and sounds like a different person now.
The win against Chelsea was a coaching masterclass and he revealed how it was planned.
He said: “We knew Neto was going to push down Chelsea’s right, so we wanted to expose those spaces. That was our plan and we did better in the second half with Anthony Robinson pushing us.”
“We wanted to expose the area the way we prepared and then get more men into the box in the second half and we did that and achieved our goal. If people think we should win this game then I would agree with them ”
Fulham fans have grown to adore their manager, as evidenced by the wild cheers at the final whistle, and the feeling is mutual.
He said: “Football is about connections. The connection between fans, players and staff is huge. The most important thing is the fans. It’s not about me at all.”
“Some of the speeches before the game were about the fans. It’s been a long time (without winning against their neighbors). We deserved it. We controlled more of the game. We didn’t give them a chance.
“We started making better decisions in the second half. All the good moves in the game gave us confidence.”
Silva’s connection with Fulham and the club’s fans looks unbreakable and he appears to be a manager who has finally found a home.
