ATTACK TO THE FUTURE
Silva must win with style, thrill the fans... and play the kids
MARCO SILVA’S longest spell of employment as manager was two-and-ahalf years in his first job with Estoril.
So what does he have to do at Goodison to stay in the hot seat longer and survive beyond the short-term tenures of his three immediate predecessors?
Here, we take a lot at what’s pending in the Everton in-tray for their new boss.
1. ARREST A LONG, SLOW DECLINE
During his 13 years at Everton, David Moyes won 42 per cent of his games. Roberto Martinez equalled that percentage, but that figure was skewed by his first year with the team he inherited from Moyes, and became progressively worse.
Ronald Koeman’s rate dropped to 41 per cent, and Sam Allardyce (right) was only 38 per cent – not good enough for a team with top-eight ambitions.
It may sound simplistic, but Silva has to find a way to win – and give his team an identity and winning mentality, which was sorely lacking last season. Everton were bottom of the attacking stats in Allardyce’s brief reign. They need to produce more.
2. WIN OVER THE FANS.
This is related to the above as Allardyce, and to a certain extent Koeman, lost the supporters because of a lack of appetising fare on offer. Big Sam’s staunch backers would have you believe he played winning football, and faced unfair hostility and expectation.
It was nothing of the sort. Everton were dull, dull, dull under him, and fans couldn’t detect a blueprint, let alone a philosophy.
It was sometimes hard to work out precisely how he expected them to score, because they weren’t set up to do so. That must change.
3. UNITE A FRACTURED CLUB.
Not only have Everton lost three managers and a caretaker boss in five years, they’ve also had a senior staff and boardroom clear-out that caused a vacuum. There’s the question of dressing-room unrest, with senior figures such as Wayne Rooney and Leighton Baines (right) not entirely happy with their treatment from the board in terms of support over contracts. Along with new director of football Marcel Brands, Silva must create a working plan to modernise and develop the entire structure of the club.
4. OVERHAUL AN AGEING, TOP-HEAVY SQUAD.
The Blues have 38 senior professionals, and no goalscorers. They have four No.10s, but only a couple of midfielders. Their best centrehalf is 35 and they have little quality cover in any position.
It won’t be easy because owner Farhad Moshiri has a massive bill coming for a new stadium, so funds for transfers may be tight. But Silva needs five or six new faces.
To get them in, he has to offload 10 to 12 players as a minimum and also fix a youth policy by finding a route into the team for youngsters. That Ademola Lookman was allowed to go on loan to a decent Bundesliga side was a disgrace.
5. DEVELOP PLAYERS.
Even the most passionate of Everton fans would admit Jurgen Klopp has developed the players he signed at Liverpool. Since Moyes left, there seems precious little emphasis on nurturing talent. Martinez got the best out of his squad for a season, but they started to go backwards from there, and Koeman did little to arrest that. Under Allardyce, it seemed there was no room for youth or coaching beyond the organisational. But there is an exciting crop of youngsters, and the likes of Idrissa Gueye, Michael Keane, Cenk Tosun and even Davy Klaassen could all be far better than they currently look. Silva has a reputation for coaching – he needs to prove it is deserved.