It is the number of Premier League games the Cottagers have played so far this season, registering an equal share of wins, draws and losses. It was also the number of seasons Fulham had – until this year – yo-yoed between the Premier League and Championship.
Six too is the number of years Silva has been managing in England now, since first arriving at Hull in 2017. Then dubbed the ‘new Mourinho’ – as most fellow Portuguese are at one time or another – the 46-year-old has since carved out his own style, informed by spells on the continent with the likes of Sporting Lisbon and Olympiakos.
It is here that the buzzwords of ‘ambition’ and ‘courage’ offer an insight into how Silva works as a manager.
“I think my management style is based on some important things,” he exclusively tells Sky Sports ahead of the Monday Night Football derby against Chelsea
“The ambition, the bravery, and the courage to play football is the way I want to prepare my teams to play every time and I want to see that on a match-day. I like my teams to play good football because it’s something that is one of my characteristics as a manager and I’m really demanding. I’m the first one to support them at everything.
“I started in the lower divisions in Portugal and afterwards, I grew and I went through different competitions with some games in the Europa League and Champions League with two clubs.
“Those scenarios gives you the experience, the maturity to play every single game, to win football matches and to demand from the people around you. I try to keep everything with me to keep improving myself and the players who work under me.
“I’ve also had different spells in the Premier League and Championship, spells when you have to adapt but one of the main things that is always in my teams – we have to be ambitious and competitive and try to win any football match when you go on the pitch.
“[The Premier League] is the most difficult and the best competition in the world. It is where there are the best players and managers and to be honest, I want to be where the best ones are
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