Marco Silva will be a Premier League success, says Steven Vitoria
Thursday 26 January 2017 16:13, UK
Marco Silva has taken on a daunting task at Hull City but his old Estoril captain Steven Vitoria is backing him to succeed. Adam Bate got in touch with him to find out why…
It was an inauspicious start to a career in management. With Estoril already in the bottom half of Portugal's second tier, they made the trip north to Penafiel and were beaten 3-1 in front of just 773 supporters. The defeat was hardly a shock. Estoril finished with eight men.
Among those red carded was Steven Vitoria. By the end of the season he would be lifting the trophy with Estoril as champions. The season after that the penalty-taking defender was the team's top scorer as Silva took them all the way into Europe.
For Vitoria, that was where his Estoril journey ended with the Canada international having earned his big move to Benfica. But he walked away in no doubt as to who was the key figure in transforming the fortunes of everyone at Estoril.
"I worked with Marco for three years and I honestly do not have a single bad thing to say about him," Vitoria tells Sky Sports. "As a man and as a coach, he is amazing. His accomplishments speak for themselves.
"At Estoril, what happened was so big and important for everyone involved. This was a club that was on the brink of closing its doors and from that he turned us into a champion team which got promoted. And then he got us into Europe.
"Even now, if you asked anyone involved in the recent history at Estoril to point to the one person who was responsible for all of this, whether it was players, staff or fans, they would all come up with the same name. It was Marco Silva."
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Estoril's success was far from inevitable. Much like at Hull City now, Silva assumed control amid uncertainty over the club's ownership and an unsettling turnover of players. His predecessor was fired just five games into the 2011/12 season.
But Silva's personal qualities as well as his tactical acumen proved vital in galvanising the group. He had already kept things going when he was captain of the team and wages were not being paid in 2009. As a coach, he retained that capacity to inspire others.
"Marco is very intelligent and is a great leader," adds Vitoria. "His relationship with players is always very positive. I remember as his captain that there was always a very big respect in the dressing room towards him from all of us players.
"I went on to sign for Benfica and won the title there but I would still rank Marco as the best coach I have ever worked with, without a doubt. I don't think it needs me to judge him though. He has won so many trophies at such a young age."
Even so, Silva's arrival in the Premier League met with an underwhelming response. Seen as a relative unknown in England, Hull's appointment was described as a gamble - although given that the club were already favourites for relegation there was not much left to lose.
That's worth remembering as Hull continue to negotiate a particularly daunting set of fixtures in the coming weeks. "Marco accepted a very tough challenge which, for sure, a lot of coaches would be afraid of," argues Vitoria. "It's important that people don't forget that.
"You see the examples of Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho. Look at how much trouble they have been having in the beginning and they are two of the most accomplished coaches in the world. So I think it is fair that Marco is given support and time to be who he is."
For Vitoria, who he is just happens to be the best coach he has known. So for him, success is just a matter of time. "When will Marco Silva succeed in England? Whether it is in the near future or later, I am not sure," he adds. "But if he will? Definitely. Without a doubt."
