Can Marco Silva inspire a turnaround at Hull City?

Hull boss Marco Silva has a big job on his hands to keep the Tigers in the top-flight

The appointment of Marco Silva as the Hull City boss is an interesting one. The 39-year-old Portuguese boss is not a figure well-known to the average Premier League fan, or writer for that matter.

His appointment has to be seen as a gamble by the Tigers, just for the fact that he lacked the experience of the English game.

However, that should not be the main attribute of a boss. How he inspires and leads his team should be the main judgement of a boss.

On that count, Silva has impressed at the likes of Estoril, Sporting Lisbon and Olympiakos. Even if he was rather harshly sacked by Sporting.

Inevitable comparisons to Mourinho

Silva has been called ‘the mini Mourinho’ and ‘the next Mourinho’ by some in his homeland because he has enjoyed a similar path from lower league Portuguese club to Premier League boss.

However, it would be unfair to compare Silva to his Manchester United counterpart. The relatively young boss is good friends with Mourinho and the pair have both been quick to play down comparisons.

The pair’s football styles contrast that’s for sure. Mourinho is regarded as a very pragmatic boss, while Silva likes his team’s to play attacking football when possible.

From his two games in charge of the Tigers, the signs are positive that the Portuguese boss may have what it takes to manage in the English top-flight.

Silva’s team recorded a 2-0 win over Swansea in the FA third round on his debut in the dugout. In midweek the Tigers produced a solid performance at United in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg, only to eventually suffer a 2-0 defeat.

Lack of players a problem

Marco Silva must know that he has a major job on his hands keeping Hull City in the Premier League. The Tigers are bottom of the table, but not cut adrift of survival. The biggest problem on Humberside is the major lack of fit personnel.

There are a number of players currently sidelined at the club and the Tigers struggled to field a defence against United on Wednesday night, with central midfielder Tom Huddlestone playing in the heart of defence.

Even when everybody is fit, still there is a distinct lack of true quality in the Tigers squad. Silva and the club’s board are already working on new additions. Brazilian attacking midfielder Evandro Groebel has arrived on a permanent deal from Porto.

Out-of-favour Everton striker Oumar Niasse has also arrived at the club on loan until the end of the season. The striker arrived at Everton 12 months ago from Russian club CSKA Moscow for a fee of around £13million.

The 26-year-old has struggled to make an impact at Everton, so much so that Toffees boss Ronald Koeman decided not to give the striker a squad number at the club. Hull fans will be hoping that the striker can produce at their club.

Big game on Saturday

This weekend Hull have a massive game as they host ninth-place Bournemouth at the KCOM Stadium. The Tigers are odds of 23/10 to record a victory against a Cherries side that is not great on their travels.

Eddie Howe’s team have lost eight of their last 12 games on their travels in the top-flight. However, the Cherries did win 3-0 at Swansea in their last away game in the top-flight.

Silva’s side needs to keep it tight at the back, something they have struggled to do this season. That struggle has been made worse by a lack of actual fit defenders. Unsurprisingly, with being the bottom side, they have conceded two or more goals in five of their last six Premier League games.

The game against the Cherries is a winnable one, but for a team that have won just once in their last 18 league games, it is still challenging. However, if Marco Silva and his side still want to be around in the Premier League next season then this is the sort of game the Tigers have to win.

Can Marco Silva inspire a turnaround in form at Hull?