Nobody certainly expected to see Burnley and Watford in seventh and ninth place on the table respectively, 11 games into the season. We take a close look at the men responsible for these teams.
The rise of Sean Dyche and Marco Silva
Sean Dyche
The 46-year-old started his coaching career at Watford soon after retiring as a player in 2007. He started with the Hornets youth team before becoming the assistant manager to Malky Mackay. Soon he was promoted to become their manager in 2011 his first real test.
It did not work out quite well for him and he left Watford. In October 2012, he was appointed as Burnley manager and guided them to the Premier League through automatic promotion after finishing second in the Championship.
His first season in the Premier League at Turf Moor didn’t go to plan. Despite a famous win against Manchester City at home and two impressive draws away at Stamford Bridge and the Etihad, his team was relegated after finishing 19th.
Scoring just 28 goals and conceding 53 tells the story of their campaign. However, unlike many clubs who could have sacked him, Burnley stuck with their man. And to their reward, he guided them to a fast return to the Premier League after lifting the Championship Trophy in 2015/2016.
In the 2016/2017 season, Burnley relied on their home form to keep them in the Premier League. With 33 points from 40 coming at home for the Clarets. Their home form was really as incredible as their away form was poor.
The revelation
At the beginning of this season, many pundits predicted that Burnley would go down. They sold some of their best players in Michael Keane and Andre Gray to Everton and Watford respectively.
They started the season at Stamford Bridge. Many expected it would be a routine win for the champions. It was everything but. Three goals in the first half helped by a red card to Gary Cahill shocked everyone watching the game.
Despite two late goals from Chelsea, the Clarets held on to a famous win. It was a win that inspired them to more great results away from home. They managed to draw at Anfield and Wembley, and win at Goodison and St Mary’s.
Building on That Win
This season Sean Dyche’s team is really hard to break, especially away from home. He sets his team to be really stubborn and try to nick a goal at the counter. Despite Tom Heaton’s injury and Michael Keane’s departure, the team looks really solid at the back.
The partnership of Ben Mee and James Tarkowski at the back has been excellent while Nick Pope in goal looks like a strong cover for Tom Heaton. While the signing of Chris Wood has proved successful.
Burnley’s excellent start has seen Sean Dyche linked with a move to Everton. It is only rumors so far but it shows what an excellent job he has done.
Marco Silva
The 40-year-old is definitely a rising prospect in the managerial world. He had taken the Portuguese League by storm and now is making his name in England.
Marco Silva’s first job was in Estoril. He was the director of football before replacing the manager in 2011. He didn’t take long to make himself noticed. In his first season, he guided the club to the top flight as champions after seven years.
His first season in the top division was one to remember. He helped Estoril to a remarkable fifth-position finish and qualified to the Europa League. It was the club’s second-best-ever finish in the league.
Silva joined Sporting Lisbon next for one season winning the Taca de Portugal, Sporting’s first silverware since 2008. Four days after winning the trophy, the Portuguese manager was sacked for not wearing the club’s official suit in a cup match.
In 2015, Marco Silva joined Olympiacos. He won a 43rd Greek League with them with six games remaining. He soon left due to personal reasons. His time at Olympiacos included a famous 3-2 at the Emirates in the Champions League. With Olympiacos, he had an incredible 79% winning record.
Coming to England
In January 2017, English fans were introduced to the young Portuguese manager after he joined Hull City. Silva took over from a team at the bottom of the Premier League. Despite a good run of results including winning his first four home matches, one of which was Liverpool, the team was relegated after a 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace. Unsurprisingly, Silva left the club.
When Marco Silva joined Watford this season, many predicted they would be relegated. However, Silva and his team surprised everyone with some good results resulting in them placed 9th so far.
A series of late goals for the Hornets, including a very late equalizer in the opening fixture versus Liverpool, produced some great results. It’s certainly proof of the belief Silva has instilled in the team.
The signing of young Richarlison is a massive success while Abdoulaye Dacoure has been brilliant so far.
Where do Dyche and Silva finish this season with their clubs?
It may be early days in the season, but Sean Dyche and Marco Silva have done an amazing job so far with their respective teams. Their fans will be excited for the remainder of the season. A top-ten finish for both clubs will certainly be a success. Maybe if things go well for them, we could see Dyche and Silva in bigger clubs next season.
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