It was one home win, nothing more, but Goodison Park embraced the immediate signs of change under Marco Silva last weekend. None were more welcome than the new Everton manager’s rejection of the style that came before him.

With the notable exception of the £40m summer signing Richarlison, Everton beat Southampton with a team that would have featured under Sam Allardyce last season. To be more precise, it was a team featuring two players signed by Allardyce, five by Ronald Koeman, one by Roberto Martínez and two by David Moyes.

It was a team coached in the basics of survival last season by Silva’s predecessor, who insisted throughout his brief Everton tenure that positive change depended on better recruitment. Had the new arrivals Yerry Mina, Lucas Digne and André Gomes been fit to face Mark Hughes’s side, or Bernard and Kurt Zouma match-fit, Everton may well have been unrecognisable from last season for the home debut of the Portuguese coach. That they were unrecognisable, in approach if not personnel, reflected the meticulous attention to detail, the hard graft and the psychological work that Silva has undertaken since his arrival. And the players’ willingness to buy into it.

“I knew the expectations were high when I came in because for me that is normal in a big club,” said Silva, who aims to maintain an unbeaten start at Bournemouth on Saturday. “We know what the fans expect as well so you have to prepare like we did and you have to get the squad ready for that. The players know my idea from the first day. It is important not just for our fans, but for me, that first we perform well and we get our players to not only compete in a high level but to enjoy what they are doing as well. Of course in the end it is most important to try 100% to get the result, which is normal in a big club.”

A greater intensity and commitment to attack in numbers have been evident throughout Silva’s opening two matches, even when Everton were reduced to 10 men after 40 minutes on the opening day at Wolverhampton Wanderers. More subtle changes have also had an impact, however. Morgan Schneiderlin was booed on to the pitch by his own fans at Goodison last season and considered a fresh start this summer. Silva convinced him otherwise, stressing the midfielder’s importance, and it is testament to Schneiderlin’s response that his absence at Bournemouth through injury is a setback. “He has started very well for us,” the manager said. “He needed to get his confidence back.”

Gylfi Sigurdsson was told what was expected of him by Marco Silva and is already delivering. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA Images

The same applied to Gylfi Sigurdsson following a difficult first season as Everton’s £45m record signing when regularly played out of position on the left. Silva said: “I was clear with him like I was with all of them. We show them what we expect, what his role will be. I told him I believe in him and his quality and then it was up to him to prove his quality and that he deserved a role in the XI. He started pre-season later because of the World Cup but he is giving everything and prepares his mind and body every day to play with high intensity.

“I don’t want to talk about his role last season, him or the other players. It’s not for me to talk about what happened to them last season but I can talk about what Gylfi is doing now. He was unfortunate in the first match because we had to play with 10 players and I took the decision to take him off. But last week he played really well and worked really hard. I know he is ready to play in different positions because he told me, but I have one idea about where he can perform in a better way. I think he is enjoying it [playing further upfield as a No 10] because he told me that as well.”

Sigurdsson and Schneiderlin were involved in the free-kick that enabled Theo Walcott to open the scoring against Southampton, a sharp routine that Silva had his players practising the day before. Another departure. Allardyce’s reputation may include well-drilled set pieces but Everton scored only six goals from that source last season. Only Brighton and Huddersfield scored fewer. Bournemouth scored 16, the most in the Premier League. Their recent contrast with Everton extends beyond managerial stability.

“Details make the difference in football today,” Silva said. “It is part of our process. Every week we work really hard on that, in our defensive and offensive set pieces, and in our routines as well. When something happens like in the Southampton game, and when you spot something and our players can transfer it from the training ground into the match situation, then it is very important for us.

“Bournemouth are good at set pieces but it is something we are working on from the first day, not just this week. Often in football a game is really balanced and one small detail will make the difference between winning and losing. We try to find the detail that makes the difference for us.” Everton hope to say the same about Silva.