The North Londoners have been enduring a difficult domestic season at N17, which has seen Tottenham Hotspur lie in the bottom half of the English top tier table, which has seen many calling for Ange Postecoglou’s head and doubting his credentials to lead the Lilywhites to success, and this has seen the chiefs at Hotspur Way already putting together a list of targets who can possibly go on to replace the Australian at N17. But then the North Londoners are also placed finely in the Europa League finals that are set to take place on 21st May, where Spurs will go shoulder to shoulder with Premier League rivals Manchester United – now the thing here is many believe that Postecoglou should be relieved of his duties in charge of the club, irrespective of where the result in the finals goes.
And if Daniel Levy were to pull that thread in the off-season, Fulham head coach Marco Silva is finely placed to be among the candidates to be considered for the role, given how he has that track record of getting the best out of his squad in the English top tier with multiple teams and how the progress of his current project at Fulham has been exceptional.
Silva is someone whose tactical philosophy also aligns perfectly with the long-term vision of football that the Lilywhites faithful share at N17 – playing a progressive style of football that is revolving around positional discipline, aggressive pressing, and structured play to give the club a designated playing style that wins while playing an entertaining brand of football.
Marco Silva and his traits as a manager
Marco Silva is doing a stellar job at Fulham.
Marco Silva is doing a stellar job at Fulham. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
Many of you wouldn’t be familiar with how Silva operates, and here we can look at some of his basic tactical traits that he likes to deploy in his sides:
Silva puts a lot of emphasis on build-ups and playing in a composed way where you put a pivot in the second phase with full-backs providing some width to the side. This is quite in line with the technical first phase that Tottenham like to display at Hotspur Way. Then comes the midfield; here Solva likes to bring more control to the game, where he likes to deploy playmakers and box-to-box hybrids (Tottenham do have the likes of Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall that fit this). Going into the final third, he likes wide overloads with underlapping fullbacks, and when the opponents are pinned, you also see a lot of late runs from the midfielders.
Coming into the out-of-ball side of things, he likes to press high when possible while deploying a compact 4-4-2 fallback (so you are pressing aggressively but with more control).
So if we are to look at it, his system brings less chaos than Postecoglou’s high-risk model, and this could bring more structural balance and tactical discipline at N17 without sacrificing ambition.
So, why Marco Silva?
Marco Silva might swap Fulham for Tottenham in the summer.
Marco Silva might swap Fulham for Tottenham in the summer.
Because at the moment the North Londoners need someone at the helm who is more than just a manager with a philosophy — Spurs need someone that has that tactical maturity, adaptability, and a proven track record who helps to bring some sort of stability in the dressing rooms. And Marco Silva has shown that he can do exactly that, not just at Fulham, but at a few clubs in the Premier League. He has that ability to get the most out of limited resources, nurture technical players, and then go on to establish a clear structure from back to front.
More importantly, Silva has that added blend of ambition and pragmatism that something doesn’t compromise on the entertainment side of things but will add to the structure that this club has desperately lacked under Ange.
Frustratingly this Postecoglou’s gung-ho approach has often left the North Londoners exposed in transition and without any sort of control in key moments of the game. But with Silva, he gives you aggression with control, possession with purpose, and tactical consistency that can be scaled for Europe.
If Levy does go on to appoint home, this will not be a reactive, short-term signing, especially given how Silva’s profile allows the North Londoners to reset and rebuild — not just emotionally, but tactically and more importantly structurally.
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Author Opinion
If Daniel Levy is indeed serious about transitioning Tottenham into a side that plays modern football with discipline, clarity, and identity, then Marco Silva does seem like a logical next step.
Would you take Marco Silva at the helm at Tottenham? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.