After parting company with head coach Walter Mazzarri, Watford moved quickly to replace the Italian, appointing Marco Silva as the new Hornets boss on a two-year contract.
Silva, who had been in charge at Hull City, decided to activate a release clause in his contract with the Tigers and despite strong interest from Portuguese side Porto, opted to take the reins at Vicarage Road.
Speaking to the club’s official website, Silva revealed it was the ambition of the club’s owners that attracted him to the job, while he hopes to produce a side that plays entertaining football:
“I really like the approach of the board and the owner. They showed me the project and I like the ambition… The club is moving forward as a Premier League club but we always want to improve our position in the table and that’s important for next season. We want to play good football so that our fans feel well when they come to see our team play.”
The History
Born in Lisbon, Portugal, Silva spent most of his playing career in the lower divisions as a right-back.
He only made two Primeira Liga appearances, one for Belenenses and the other for Campomaiorense, before ending his career with a six-year stint at Estoril.
In June 2011, immediately following his retirement, Silva was appointed as the director of football at Estoril.
But during the early part of the next campaign, Silva took over as manager and guided the club to the league title and promotion back to the Primeira Liga following a seven-year hiatus.
The 2012/13 campaign was another historic one for Estoril, who finished fifth in the Primeira Liga, securing a place in the third qualifying round of the Europa League.
Incredibly, Silva would go one better the following season, steering Estoril to a fourth-place finish and automatic qualification for the Europa League.
Those successes convinced Sporting Lisbon to appoint Silva as their new manager on a four-year contract in May 2014.
Silva would only spend one season at Sporting, though, with a third-place finish in the league, and a Portuguese Cup triumph not enough to prevent him getting sacked in June 2015.
In July 2015, he signed a two-year deal to take over at Greek club Olympiakos.
Silva guided Olympiakos to a historic 17 consecutive domestic victories, before eventually winning the league title with six matches remaining.
He resigned in June 2016, however, citing personal reasons, and in January was appointed as Hull City head coach, replacing Mike Phelan.
He took over at the KCOM Stadium with the Tigers rooted to the bottom of the Premier League, with only 13 points from 20 matches played.
Silva’s impact was immediate, guiding his new side to a 3-1 victory over Bournemouth in his first league match in charge.
That success at the KCOM Stadium was a sign of things to come. Hull’s home form under their new boss saw them pick up five wins and a draw from their next six home matches, putting them in position to avoid relegation.
But a surprise 2-0 defeat at home to Sunderland ultimately cost the Tigers, with a 4-0 loss to Crystal Palace the following week confirming their relegation back to the Championship.
The Prospects
Silva takes charge of a Watford side who finished 17th in the Premier League, registering 40 points from their 38 matches.
The Hornets endured a miserable end to the season, losing their final six matches and conceding 16 goals in the process.
Under Mazzarri, Watford played in a number of different formations, with the Italian regularly switching between three and four-man defences.
That flexibility is likely to be utilised by Silva, who himself adopted a three-man backline at times with Hull, although he generally favoured a back four.
When Silva arrived in England, he was known to favour a 4-2-3-1 formation.
Following the arrivals of Kamil Grosicki and Lazar Markovic during the January transfer window, that system and the slight variation of a 4-1-4-1 brought a lot of success for the Portuguese boss.
But looking at the current Watford squad, it’s clear that Silva isn’t currently blessed with a great number of options in the wide areas – something he is likely to address in the transfer market.
At present, Nordin Amrabat and Isaac Success look the best solutions in those positions, with Roberto Pereyra, who missed much of the season after suffering a serious knee injury, perhaps another option, although he looks better suited to the No 10 role.
Unsurprisingly, Grosicki has already been linked with a move to Vicarage Road, with newly promoted Newcastle United are also thought to be interested in the Poland international.
Silva did at times play with two strikers in a 4-4-2 formation, but is likely to generally operate with just one frontman.
That should be Troy Deeney, with Mazzarri’s departure likely to increase the chances of the Hornets skipper remaining at Vicarage Road, following tension between the pair during the second half of the campaign.
Deeney has been linked with a move to West Bromwich Albion, although the £35 million price tag is likely to put off any potential suitors.
Then again, the Watford captain did play his best football in the top flight operating either alongside, or just behind, Odion Ighalo back in 2015/16. So should Silva bring in a new striker, or utilise Stefano Okaka or Mauro Zarate once he returns to full fitness, there is a chance Deeney could drop into a support striker role.
M’Baye Niang won’t be joining the club on a permanent basis following his loan spell during the second half of the season, so Silva seems certain to add to his forward options.
Under Silva, Hull saw their average number of goals per match increase from 0.8 to 1.1, while Watford averaged 1.1 goals per match under Mazzarri.
Oumar Niasse and Abel Hernandez had their moments for the Tigers, but neither boast the quality of Deeney, who could enjoy a new lease of life under the Portuguese boss.
In Etienne Capoue, Tom Cleverley and Abdoulaye Doucoure, Silva has three players who offer different qualities in central midfield, and having favoured Alfred N’Diaye and Sam Clucas at Hull, look perfectly capable of doing the same job for the new Hornets boss.
But if Capoue is to operate in a two-man midfield in a 4-2-3-1, a system in which Silva also likes his full-backs to push forward, his attacking instincts may have to be curbed somewhat, perhaps reducing his appeal as a budget option.
Injuries disrupted Daryl Janmaat’s first season at Vicarage Road, but the Dutchman looks well suited as an attack-minded right-back under Silva and he could re-emerge as a viable option in defence, having only produced two goals and one assist this season.
Silva has, however, been linked with a move for Hull right-back Omar Elabdellaoui, who he signed back in January, along with goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic, perhaps indicating he isn’t happy with the options he currently has available to him in those positions.
Similarly, Jose Holebas, who totalled two goals and four assists in 2016/17, could flourish at left-back, although his dismal disciplinary record he picked up 14 yellow cards – does dent his appeal.
During Silva’s tenure at Hull, the Tigers managed to keep four clean sheets in 18 matches, compared to just one in their first 20 clashes with Phelan at the helm.
There was also a reduction in the goal attempts conceded under Silva, down from 19.1 per match to 14.2, offering hope the new Watford head coach could improve on the seven shut-outs the Hornets registered in 2016/17.
Sebastian Prodl, Miguel Britos and Younes Kaboul were the main centre-backs used under Mazzarri, but with the trio dogged by injury and suspensions, Silva’s selections during pre-season will be key to finding out who his favoured partnership will be.
Heurelho Gomes has been a crucial member of the Watford squad over the past few seasons, but the link with Jakupovic suggest the 36-year-old may face fresh competition for his place as the first-choice goalkeeper.
Given Watford’s poor defensive record this season, with only three teams conceding more goals than they 68 they allowed, it’s likely that some of their defensive starters will be available at just 4.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
So should the Hornets be handed a favourable schedule at the start of next season, members of their backline could prove to be ideal rotation options.
Although Silva was ultimately not able to keep Hull in the Premier League, his management style earned plenty of praise, and with a full pre-season to prepare this time around, he looks well-placed to help Watford climb the table.
Recruitment will again be key. But after impressing in his first transfer window in January, there’s every indication that with greater backing, Silva will be able to bring in the right players and ultimately help provide Fantasy managers with plenty of value options from the Watford squad.
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