How Tottenham could line up in Marco Silva’s 4-2-3-1 with two of his former players
Marco Silva is the latest to be linked with the managerial role at Tottenham Hotspur, with Igor Tudor’s future still in doubt, and we have taken a look at how Spurs could line up in his 4-2-3-1 system.
It remains to be seen if Igor Tudor will be the Tottenham Hotspur manager by the end of the March international break.
At the moment, there are contrasting reports regarding the future of the interim Spurs manager, as some claim there has been a mutual parting of ways between Tottenham and Tudor. Meanwhile, others suggest talk of a Tudor departure is premature.
Of course, Spurs are in a difficult position regarding the manager, who is currently dealing with the loss of his father. However, should they opt to pull the plug, they will have to make a decision on who takes charge in the coming weeks.
Marco Silva is one manager who has been linked with the Tottenham job; whether he is appointed this season or next remains to be seen. Regardless, we have now decided to see how Spurs could look under the Portuguese.
Tottenham Marco Silva tactical setup and lineup prediction
We know from his time in the Premier League that Marco Silva is a manager who prefers to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation.
That sort of shape is not new in the Premier League, as Tottenham themselves have often set up in a similar system under Thomas Frank. That naturally suggests that, should Silva make the switch, many Spurs players will not struggle to adapt to his system.
In fact, Silva can be likened to a manager very similar to Frank in what you can expect from him. His team will be compact; they can play good football, but he is not known to be overly aggressive in his approach and is often balanced in each facet of play.
Should he look to replicate a similar style, then we can expect to see similar players who lined up under Frank feature for Silva as well.
In goal, there is no extreme priority on playing out from the back, as Fulham can often mix things up, and that should work well for Guglielmo Vicario.
In front of the goalkeeper, one could expect to see a back four of Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie.
This back four could see Silva deploy his players similarly to how he does at Fulham. We know the manager rarely has his full-backs invert, and they are usually used traditionally, offering overlaps and never afraid to run forward.
That could work for both Udogie and Porro, who could thrive in Silva’s setup. At Fulham, we know Andersen is mostly the ball-playing centre-back, and you can easily see Romero in that role. Beside him, Bassey is a willing runner – a ball-carrying centre-back – and that is van de Ven.
In front of the defence, we expect that Joao Palhinha will be Silva’s preferred choice in one of the pivot roles. The two have worked together before when Palhinha was at Fulham, and it was Silva who signed him.
By the side of the Portuguese, we expect to see Archie Gray. The youngster remains one of the best players for Tottenham this season and, given his versatility, could fit into any system.
In the number ten role, we expect to see Xavi Simons pulling the strings. We have seen Josh King and Smith Rowe put in decent performances in that position this season, and they are often very advanced, so we can expect Simons to have a similar free, creative role.
On the wings, Kudus and Mathys Tel could be Silva’s go-to men. We have already seen how dangerous Harry Wilson has been this season, and if Silva can get either one of Spurs’ wide men to produce similar numbers, then you would fancy their chances of staying up.
Up top, it simply has to be Richarlison. The Portuguese is a big fan of the Brazilian and is often full of praise for him, which is no surprise given they have worked together at both Watford and Everton.
Here is the final lineup: Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Palhinha, Gray; Kudus, Simons, Tel; Richarlison.
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