Marco Silva’s arrival was the subject of much adulation and fanfare, and while his announcement was later than we would have hoped for, there’s high confidence that the Portuguese manager can flourish with the club.
While Sam Allardyce performed commendably to stabilise the club following a nervy start to last season with Ronald Koeman, his conservative and relatively outdated philosophy was hardly befitting of a club that is looking to compete among the best in the division.
Henceforth, the appointment and our start under Silva’s guidance has indeed been promising. With both Hull City and Watford, he proved his capacity to achieve favourable results with an expansive style of play. Additionally, and unlike our previous manager, he has displayed his ability to win silverware with the likes of Sporting, Estoril and Olympiacos, and he’s only 41!
Despite his impressive resume, most commendable of all is his ability to utilise his players and ensure that they feel valued. Given the emphasis placed on positive and progressive football, creative players tend to thrive under Silva’s stewardship, as Richarilson is beginning to demonstrate.
Silva empowers his creative players with the licence to express themselves, which nurtures their attacking talent. It’s crucial that players are deployed in suitable systems, ones that don’t suffocate their flair or their ability to impact the game.
The decision to adopt the 4-2-3-1 formation for our first two games of the season is a concentrated effort to enhance the output of our attack while tailoring to the strengths of our vital attacking stars. While our defence has been shaky in the first two games of the campaign, the presence of Zouma and Mina should help fortify our backline. Without question, this season has the potential to be very memorable. Let’s make it so!
What are your thoughts? Do you agree? Let us know!