Sign up for the big Everton stories from a fantastic season so far Get the newsletter Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Marco Silva has been hired to lift Everton out of the safety-first doldrums of the Sam Allardyce era.

Big Sam claimed the Blues were playing an entertaining brand football during his unpopular reign but the Goodison faithful didn't agree with his version of a style guide.

Silva, seen as one of the brightest young coaches in Europe, is also big on organisation and defensive solidity but where Allardyce was often happy to play for a point, the new man in charge at Everton is cut from different cloth.

Attacking full-backs, pace and playing with width are other trademarks of a Marco Silva side with the Portuguese coach determined the Blues to become a side who press their opponents more aggressively.

Silva has used counter-attacking football to great effect with his two previous Premier League clubs – Hull City and Watford – but insists that the expectations are different at Everton and so he must implement a strategy used earlier in his managerial career.

“No, definitely not. Definitely not,” Silva told the ECHO when asked if Everton would be a counter-attacking team under him.

“Of course, if you can attack and cause problems for our opponent in five or six touches then why take 10?

“But for sure it is not our philosophy.

“My idea is to control the game with the ball and with one clear goal is to create problems and create chances to score.

“Of course it is depending on what type of players you have in your squad, if you have a team or not to do that, then after that I need to adapt my ideas to that squad.”

“You need to understand when you are coaching one club like Sporting Lisbon or Olympiakos, big clubs in their countries, it is impossible to play counter attack because you have the ball 70% of the time and in that moment you need to control the game with the ball and good ball possession whilst always having one goal: create chances,” the Everton boss added.

“But when you work at a club like Hull, the games are more balanced and you need to be ready for everything.

“But now you need to be strong in all the moments: in counter attack, offensive organisation and you need to organise your team in all moments of the match.”

Silva has used a variety of formations as a coach but says his preferred system at Goodison will be what he become known for.

“4-3-3, I can tell you," Silva said.

“Of course, it is the system I have played more.

(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)

"One second season I used 4-4-2 and sometimes last season three at the back in some moments but 4-3-3 is my system, depending on my No6.

“Depending the profile of my No6, I can play one and two or I can play two and one behind the striker depending on the profile of our No6.

“If we play Schneiderlin he is a player who likes to play more alone which gives more freedom to the other two midfielders and this is the system I use more.

“But my model, first of all the team need to work all together and if we have a clean sheet then everything will start from there."

(Image: Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)

The formation of Everton's midfield three will be flexible but he had made clear that club record signing Gylfi Sigurdsson will spend the majority of the season as close to the frontline as possible.

A No10 by trade, Sigurdsson was often a victim of his own versatility last season playing wide left, from deeper in midfield and even, in one game, as the lone striker.

But Silva has a clear plan for the Icelandic international.

“First we need to be smart and look to him where he can perform better,” he said.

“For me, it is easy. If I ask Gylfi the position he thinks he can perform better then it is offensive midfield, it is clear.

“Ok, he can play on the left and last season and with his previous clubs, he played many, many games on the left and that is one position he can play but for me it is clear he is a player to play on offensive midfield.

“Ok, in front of two midfielders or with one and two midfielders as well, he could play in that position. In some moments he could play on the left but, for me, in this moment it is why we wanted to sign a left winger because we look for him in this right position.”

And workhorse Sigurdsson will be key to implementing one other of Silva's requirements – but this one is without the ball.

“I really like a pressure team and if you can do that for as long as possible in a match then that will cause problems for our opponent," he said.

"We have to do that in the right way, in a good balance everytime, but it is something I like and it is something we will work on many, many, many times during the week.”