Silva Wants To Implement 'Everton Idea'

Marco Silva says Everton are aiming to achieve the “perfect” scenario of all the Club’s teams adopting the same assertive and resourceful style of play.

Manager Silva oversaw an Academy training session during last month’s international break and insists it is imperative he has a handle on Everton’s entire structure. 

Silva has set great store by introducing a fearless brand of football to Goodison Park, encouraging his players to remain faithful to their forceful approach no matter the identity of their opponents.

Everton fleetingly occupied a top-six spot earlier in the campaign. And Portuguese Silva’s outlook has latterly paid dividends in the form of a succession of positive results, particularly at home, where Everton will bid to extended their unbeaten sequence to a fourth game against Manchester United on Sunday.

Formerly in charge at Olympiakos and Sporting Lisbon, and the architect of Estoril’s rise from the second tier in his homeland to Europa League contestants, Silva remains in the initial phase of his long-term Goodison plan.

And he insists establishing one recognisable method of play throughout the Club is a realistic goal.

“This is the perfect thing to do,” Silva told evertontv.

“We have to build – not my idea – we have to build the Everton idea.

“It will be perfect if we can have all the teams playing the same way.


“It is not an easy thing but it is our idea.

“Every time I meet with [Director of Football] Marcel Brands and our staff, it is our idea.

“It is not easy to do but it is our aim to do more and more – to prepare the young players better to come and one day play in the first team.” 

Silva experienced his first Everton Academy Day this week when the Club's first-team squad joined the Blues' Under-6 to Under-11 players for small-sided games and a range of football activities at USM Finch Farm.

A blue-riband event in the Academy calendar, it came one month after Silva led training for a selection of Everton's young talents.

“It is really important for me to know all the players in the Club,” said Silva.

“We have our structure and it is something I want to be involved with [from top to bottom] as much I can.

“We organised a session for some of our young players and had a special day for them – not just Under 17s and Under-18s, some of our best young players.

“They enjoyed it and it was a really important moment for us to know them better – and something we will do as much as we can.”


For homegrown pair Jonjoe Kenny and Tom Davies, Academy Day represented a reminder of their own progress, that duo once Everton schoolboy hopefuls made up to share a pitch with senior stars and now owners of a combined 129 first-team appearances.

Both players were Premier League 2 title winners with Everton Under-23s in 2016-17.

David Unsworth’s current crop regained that crown when they beat Brighton & Hove Albion at Goodison on Monday night.

And Silva claims experiencing success in age-group teams is a valuable element of any footballer’s development.

“It was a fantastic achievement for them,” added Silva.

“Congratulations to David and all the players.

"It is really important and when you can grow winning titles and regularly playing decisive matches, you are preparing better for your future.

“When you achieve something so important, like they did last Monday, it means you are doing things well.

“They did a very good job. We have quality inside the Club and it is up to us to prepare them well.

“And the best way to prepare is winning titles and winning trophies.”