Back in June this year, Jorge Jesus – the eccentric, outspoken and charismatic boss who had guided Benfica to three league titles, ten domestic trophies and two Europa League finals – sensationally walked out of the reigning champions and took over at cross-city rivals Sporting. The move sent shockwaves throughout the nation; more Judas than Jesus, quipped the outraged Benfica fans.
Amid the fall-out of a move that rocked Portuguese football, a managerial casualty went almost unnoticed. Marco Silva had only been appointed at the Alvalade twelve months previously, the 38-year-old having been poached from Estoril, the tiny coastal outfit in Greater Lisbon. You can make a good case that Silva was extremely harshly done by, but the young coach did not waste time bemoaning his misfortune. Colin Millar profiles the latest Portuguese manager to be drawing comparisons with José Mourinho.
In the summer of 2014 Silva’s appointment was greeted with excitement by fans of Sporting, with the club demonstrating how highly they rated his managerial ability by offering him a bumper four-year contract. He was the bright new kid on the block, who had worked minor miracles in the picturesque resort of Estoril.
The Lisbon-native enjoyed a lengthy if somewhat undistinguished playing career across a number of lower league Portuguese sides, the last six seasons of which at Estoril Praia (the strict definition is ‘Estoril beach’, but Praia is often dropped in referencing them). The former right-back was immediately appointed as Director of Football at the club, who were aware of his coaching ambitions and how he’d often requested greater involvement in match preparation and training regimes.
Working miracles at Estoril
With Estoril languishing in tenth place and in danger of dropping into the third tier – where they had spent four seasons at the turn of the millennium – Silva was promoted to the hot seat. He was 34 years old. He knew the playing staff well and is regarded as an excellent man-manager, he is no dictator and is as liked as he is respected.
The results immediately improved – the team lost only three of their remaining 24 league games as they romped to the title and a return to the promised land of the top flight.
The feel-good factor around the club didn’t stop there, as their momentum took them to an unpredicted and unprecedented 5th place finish in the 2012-13 campaign, ensuring European qualification for the first time in their history. Estoril were becoming the side that nobody wanted to face. They took the scalp of Sporting 3-1 at home before a creditable 1-1 draw in Estádio José Alvalade, the same scoreline they managed away to Benfica.
Estoril’s form was overshadowed by Paços de Ferreira, who stunned all onlookers as they made it to the Champions League qualifiers by finishing third, while Sporting endured a nightmare campaign by finishing seventh.
Little Estoril’s achievements were therefore severely underplayed. It was assumed that their heroics were an isolated one-off which would not be repeated, particularly due to the departures of several star players.
Top-scorer Steven Vitória let his contract run-out and he was snapped up by Benfica, while prolific striker Licá made a big-money move to Porto, where he would go on to become a Portuguese international. Talented Brazilian winger Carlos Eduardo also made the move north to the champions, where he flickered brightly on occasion in an otherwise disappointing year for the Blue and Whites.
Rejuvenating careers
The fact that Estoril retained boss Silva for a further year was a key factor in ensuring continuity as the club once again invested wisely and improved their squad. Centre-half Yohan Taveres was signed from Standard Liege, former Real Madrid fringe winger Javier Balboa was drafted in from Beira-Mar and Brazilian talent Sebá signed from Porto following his release from Cruzeiro.
It has been a trait of Silva’s to invest in players who have been released or rejected at other clubs, and to rejuvenate their careers. The Canarinhos performed at a higher level as a collective than the sum of their individual parts. There existed a palpable vibrancy and belief in his side’s performances that defied their status as both a club and a team.
At Estoril there were two notable playing traits that were distinguishable. Firstly, the side's mental strength and secondly, playing an ambitious brand of football – not just containing the opposition but exploiting vulnerabilities and posing questions. Playing without fear. The main issue which the Portuguese game has faced consistently over the years is the dominance of the Big Three, who outside of games against each other would rarely lose any ground in the title race. Of all the top division sides, Estoril were the smallest. They would scarcely attract more than 1,000 fans to any given matchday. The district is hugely wealthy and is populated as equally by tourists as by locals, and with no tradition of top-level football they struggle for fans, especially with Benfica and Sporting just a short train journey away.
Despite this, Silva instilled a mentality into his side whereby they held no fear in going to their more illustrious rivals. They recorded nine away wins which included a win at FC Porto – the Dragons’ first domestic home defeat in 81 matches and seven years – and a 1-0 win at Sporting in a match that happened to be Silva’s last in charge at the club before being snapped up by the Lions, who had lost the services of Leonardo Jardim to Monaco.
A remarkable campaign by Silva had guided Estoril to a club-record 4th, only seven points off Porto and into Europe for the first time in their history. Not bad for a club who’s average attendance was lower than all professional English clubs. Silva was Portugal’s hottest managerial property who had not just worked wonders getting Estoril up and keeping them up, but somehow taking the league by storm whilst having his squad ripped apart by rivals with more money and clout. Against all the odds and all logic, the performances and the results just kept improving.
Sporting come calling
Sporting were aware of Silva’s managerial nous, his ability to withstand the loss of star players and forge a winning team on a budget, playing attractive football. It was almost the dream appointment for a club who were starved of success and were by now very much living in the shadows of Benfica and Porto, who had shared the last twelve titles between them.
Having won only two league titles in 32 seasons, nobody saw the fresh-faced Silva guiding Sporting to the summit in his first campaign but he was tasked with doing so within the four-year timeframe, while putting up an admirable showing in Europe and winning a domestic cup would be massive bonuses.
As it transpired, the club lost only two league outings throughout the campaign – fewer than eventual champions Benfica – but too many draws saw them finish in 3rd, nine points off the pace. This was achieving par, their squad had neither the quality nor title experience just yet but this was no underachievement. Neither was elimination from the Champions League group stage – home wins over Maribor and Schalke were not enough, as a hugely controversial (and quite frankly absurd) 93rd minute penalty decision in Germany saw Sporting slip to a crucial 4-3 defeat in a classic encounter. Sporting missed out on qualification to the last sixteen by one point, despite holding a vastly superior goal difference. It was heartbreak.
Back in Portugal, the season ended on a high as Silva brought Sporting their first trophy in seven years, with a hugely dramatic Taça de Portugal final win over Braga. Trailing 2-0 with five minutes to go, the side’s never-say-die spirit came to the fore with two late goals before eventually holding their nerve in the penalty shoot-out.
Four days after the euphoria and outpouring of relief at the great club, Silva was sacked. Four days. Sporting announced in a statement that they had acted with ‘just cause’ as the manager had committed several disciplinary infringements, one of which included not wearing the club’s official suit in a cup match against FC Vizela, six months previously. It was scarcely believable, but when it became clear that the rumours were true and Jorge Jesus was destined for Estadio Alvalade, it all became clear.
The club felt that the opportunity not just to appoint Jesus, but to embarrass their great rivals on such a scale was simply too good to pass up. They offered him a bumper-contract in the region of €6 million per annum, while Benfica argued they could no longer maintain his current €4 million per annum deal. A 400-page document was produced outlining the reasoning behind Silva’s dismissal, but it was impossible for most to shake off the feeling that this move was grossly unfair and unjust.
Going Greek
Silva was never going to be out of work for long. His time at Sporting had enhanced rather than diminished his standing in management circles. Less than a month later he was unveiled as the new boss at Greek champions Olympiakos.
The Greeks have won the last five league titles in succession and 17 of the last 19 – the standard has been set, only triumph will suffice for Silva who is seeking to earn his first top flight title in management. The Piraeus club are now building many links with Iberia: Silva is the third Portuguese boss in as many years – following on from Vitor Pereira and Leonardo Jardim – while Spaniards Ernesto Valverde and Michel have also been in charge in recent times.
The side is currently being built in line with Silva’s vision. The summer saw the arrival of two young Greek stars Giannis Gianniotas and Fanis Tzandaris is in keeping with Silva’s trust and faith in youth players, who he has shown he can skilfully mould into a winning side. Also arriving was Brazilian attacker Sebá, who thrived under Silva’s tutelage at Estoril, while Colombian Felipe Pardo (Braga) and Hernani (on loan from Porto) are players who Silva has long since kept a close eye on.
Silva’s start at Olympiakos has been imperious. Thirteen league wins out of thirteen as the club remains on course to keep up their domestic dominance. Comparisons are being made with José Mourinho – although on this season's form, there is only one winner – and some are even comparing him to Jorge Jesus, although the Silva’s calm demeanour could not contrast more to Jesus’ brash and loud self-confidence.
“My aim is to create an attacking team with pace, who will always work hard and force mistakes,” Silva said before his outfit took on Arsenal back in September. Before that encounter, Olympiakos had lost all thirteen visits to England. Silva’s men won 3-2 and followed that up with back-to-back victories over Dinamo Zagreb. Two defeats to Bayern Munich are nothing to be ashamed of, and the upshot is the Greeks are in a position of strength as they host Arsenal in the final group game. Progression would be another feather in Silva’s cap. At 38 years of age, this might just be the beginning.
By Colin Millar
