OPINION
Despite finishing a respectable eighth in the Premier League last season, there can be little doubting that there was not a whole lot of positive energy at Everton prior to Marco Silva’s arrival.
The Sam Allardyce reign was blighted by negativity both on and off the field, with the former England manager’s pragmatic tactics going down poorly with the Goodison Park faithful and in turn rubbed off on the players who seemed to be lacking the motivation to push hard for success.
Their top ten finish was primarily due to the quality of their squad rather than the impact made by Allardyce, and now that Silva is in place there is an awful lot more happiness circulating around Merseyside.
Perhaps the biggest thing to come out of the change in the dugout was Silva’s self-admitted focus on ensuring that players are not just a top talent on the pitch but have the mental strength and the right character to make the desired impact – something which looks to have paid off a treat in the turnaround under his leadership.
He told the Mirror: “When we sign players, it is my job to be almost 100% sure they can improve our squad and that they are good professionals and good characters for our club.
“Their teammates have really welcomed them and the club is supporting them all the time, which is helping all the new players perform well and feel at home.”
The only real thing to celebrate for the Toffees faithful last season was the end of Allardyce and Silva’s arrival has clearly brought a new sense of life not only into the club but into the players themselves.
His desire to find the right figures, both physically and mentally, to fit into the team only bodes well at Goodison Park and it is a far cry from how Allardyce was dealing with things – in the right direction, of course.