Marco Silva was gripped by Hearts' near miss in the Scottish Premiership title race, and despite sweeping changes at Tynecastle, he insists the new-look side under Wouter Vrancken still pose a significant threat.
Benfica's head coach watched last season as Hearts took the title fight to the final minutes, almost ending the dominance of Celtic and Rangers. Silva, who spent nine years working in England, has followed Scottish football closely and was captivated by that story.
Silva's respect for Hearts
Speaking ahead of tonight's Europa League qualifier at the Estadio da Luz, Silva dismissed any notion that Hearts lack danger, even though they have lost all three competitive matches this term. He said: “Definitely, definitely they are. Of course, as you know, I've been in the Premier League so many years and the Premier League in Scotland is something that we followed last season, as always we need to follow.”
He recalled the dramatic finale: “I even remember watching the last game and all that amazing story about the last game and the chances for Hearts to become champions after so many, many years. Of course, two big clubs most of the time they get the title and the fight between them is huge every single time. But last season was a good example of when one club started to go and compete with them.”
Dangerous opponents
Silva acknowledged the changes at Hearts, including a new manager, but stressed the threat remains. “Of course, it's going to be dangerous, always dangerous. The atmosphere, when you arrive at the second game, it's going to be there for sure. But it's important to be strong to show our quality [in the first leg], but also respect for the quality they have, quality in the last season as well.”
He added: “A lot of changes, the manager has changed as well and, of course, they need time to adapt, but they were competing to be in the Champions League. We respect them, respect the competition and of course they are going to make our lives difficult for sure. We have to be ready, we have to be at our best level to be ready to compete and to win it.”
Home advantage crucial
Silva, who managed Hull, Watford, Everton, and Fulham in England, understands the importance of the home factor in the two-legged tie. He said: “It's clear there's some similarities with the Premier League, the Championship as well, the way they compete. The home factor and playing at home is always a big part on their game.”
He stressed the need to make the most of playing the first leg at Benfica's stadium: “The home factor is something decisive. And in the second leg we will not have that. We will try to impact with the home factor. We will try to play with that. To feel the importance and to know the importance of playing the first knockout game in the Benfica stadium.”
Silva expects a different test compared to the previous round against St Gallen: “It will be a different team. They [Hearts] have similar things but they are a different team. The main difference is in the offensive moment and the ambition to win the game. Of course we would like to go comfortable to the next game, but as of now, we need to win this game.”
Transfer window challenges
Silva is also managing his squad through the transfer window, with captain Antonio Silva having left for Bournemouth for £25 million. He is yet to name a new captain and said: “That's something that I need to take, that I need to choose. I would like to have the group more complete. Since Sunday we completed the group with some new faces. But of course there will be some changes until the end of the market.”
He acknowledged the market's unpredictability: “You cannot make evaluations about the market in the beginning of August. And some questions that we would like to have in a faster way. We cannot assure that. And about the new players. There is something that we can deal with it. But about the players leaving the club. It's something that we cannot control. And from now on the market is like this.”
He emphasized the need for quality signings: “We don't want to get a player just for one or two games. And for the rest of the season is not what we want. But when we lose someone like Antonio, we need to try to get a new signing to improve the team.”
