Silva strikes defiant note ahead of Everton trip to Leicester

For now it appears Marco Silva is continuing business as normal at Goodison Park even though now a second top six club has sacked their manager following a limp start to the season, with Arsenal announcing that Unai Emery has been relieved of his duties as of this morning just 18 months into his tenure, not unlike Silva.

Everton travel to second-placed Leicester City on Sunday, and speaking to the press ahead of that trip, Silva maintained that he was not reading what the media or the fans have had to say about him and his side’s performances.

“About the week and how I’m feeling about the last result, the defeat we had. That was a tough moment, we expected something different, not just the result but also the performance too.

“I was really disappointed after the match and I shared this opinion with my players and the fans. We had to analyse things and prepare for the next match, that is always my focus.

“I call for a strong response from my players. We have to react and keep working really hard to prepare for the next game.

“Our faces are not the same, of course when you don’t win a game you expect to win, when you don’t have the performance you expect. But we have to react and prepare really hard because in this way you can win the game.”

Silva also addressed the myriad rumours circulating about any ultimatums he had been given by the Board or that he would be sacked.

“I don’t lose time thinking about it [getting sacked]. I don’t waste my time or my focus thinking about this situation. My focus is always on my players and on what I can control.

“The next match is always what’s on my mind, analyzing why we didn’t perform, why we didn’t achieve the result we wanted, we needed.

“Nothing more, I don’t lose one minute thinking about this situation.”

When pressed if he read any of the blowback or had any response to the opinions being bandied about, Silva persisted:

“I didn’t see everything. I didn’t read it at all. I had more or less the feedback from the people that we work with, the immediate people. It is not part of day to read or see what’s happening. Again, I try to put all my energy into things that can help me and my players, and the club to perform and improve what we should improve.

“About the rumours I know something about what’s there, but again it’s not something that disturbs me or my daily routine to get our team better.”

Regarding the much-publicized conversations with the Board, Silva added that was nothing new and that he had their support.

“We had a conversation on Saturday, again on Monday. My contact is permanent with Marcel [Brands]. I can tell you that whenever he is here at Finch Farm we are in contact, contact every single day.

“What we did last Saturday is something we do often. Now you know that you start to do your job and find out why this situation happened but it’s not the first time we did that.

“It’s what has come from all the meetings until now, that meeting was the same. It’s important for me to understand why we haven’t achieved the results that can boost us up the table.

“It’s normal the Board wants to speak with me and my opinion about the situation. But if you’re asking if I felt their support or if we felt united, for sure. I am feeling since the first day that situation and it was the same in that meeting.

“There was never talks of an ultimatum or thinking about winning the next game to keep my job.

“I am asked this almost every game of the season. It’s not something new.”

So there you have it, straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak - Silva is going to remain Everton manager, until he isn’t, just like Emery and Mauricio Pochettino were in North London.