Silva vows to break language barrier
WATFORD head coach Marco Silva is encouraging his players to speak English on the training ground to ensure there is no repeat of last season’s communication breakdown.
Under predecessor Walter Mazzarri, several languages were spoken on the training ground with the Italian conducting every press conference in English, which contributed to his downfall. But now Portuguese boss Silva wants his squad, which contains players from 20 different countries, to speak the same language.
“Will the players be speaking only in English? Yes,” he said in his first interview since his appointment at Vicarage Road two months ago.
“The main language is English. Normally I talk in front of everyone in English. Sometimes I need to speak to Spanish players a bit in Spanish but that is not perfect.”
Silva wants a more British flavour to his squad and has already added Will Hughes from Derby and Nathaniel Chalobah from Chelsea.
“It’s important to sign English players,” he said. “If you can find solutions, they know the Premier League and English football, so it is better. We look at the English players but it is not easy to find good solutions with our budget.”
Silva has already had the obligatory ‘good luck’ call from Watford’s life president Sir Elton John.
“I spoke to him on the phone and I hope next week he will come here for the first match against Liverpool,” said Silva, 40.
“He said, ‘Good luck, you are a fantastic manager’. But he says that to everyone! He is an amazing person.”
Silva will now look to do something none of the Hornets’ six previous managers have done: last more than a season, thanks to owner Gino Pozzo’s hardline approach.
“It’s really not important,” said Silva. “I don’t pass my days thinking about it. I have signed for two years – it is a project for two years.”