Watford and Everton is a tale of disdain, cynicism and a highly-rated Portuguese manager.
The Toffees travel to Vicarage Road this Saturday in a game that will not only be pivotal to Marco Silva but also to the Hornets.
Watford have surprised many this season under Javi Gracia. This time out, they are a much more organised, physical, and dangerous side to that of bygone eras but even with the struggles of Everton of late, they find themselves only a solitary point above the Blues, who have been disappointing after pre-season optimism.
In normal circumstances, 8th vs 9th in the Premier League would be that of a dead rubber, with both teams looking to next season to take the next step. This is not your ordinary game. Watford will be baying for Silva's blood, and for that of Everton.
Everton themselves do not go into the game with the same passion as Watford, but the disdain works both ways. Why did it all start? Here’s the tale of the bitter feud between the two sides.
Context
It was the 23rd October when Everton decided to part ways with failing manager Ronald Koeman. They needed a lift. Something to work with, as the team and then interim manager David Unsworth were sinking like the proverbial ship.
Meanwhile, down south, Watford were flying. On the date of Koeman’s sacking, they were 5th in the Premier League. Under Silva, the Hornets were a much more fluent and cohesive unit to that seen under Walter Mazzarri who laboured to a 17th place finish in the previous term.
So it is not difficult to understand why British-Iranian businessman and Everton majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri wanted to lure the Portuguese to Goodison Park, to regain the identity lost under Koeman.
After a month of searching for the right man to replace the Dutchman, with Diego Simeone, Sean Dyche, Thomas Tuchel and even Martin O’Neill linked as well as Silva, Everton opted to appoint Sam Allardyce as their manager as form fell off a cliff. Prior the 4-0 defeat of West Ham, the night before Allardyce’s appointment, Everton found themselves precariously close to the bottom three and with Unsworth clearly dejected by the situation, an appointment was necessary.
An identity crisis
Despite this, Everton did not want Allardyce. They wanted Silva. The Englishman proved to be an interim for the club until the Portuguese became available. That came a lot earlier than expected.
After one win in ten Premier League games, Watford parted ways with Silva. Whether you think that was reactionary or not, with the club 10th in the league, Watford’s choice was not only made with a footballing concern, but they also took the decision on their principles. The Hornets saw themselves not as a puppet for Silva, but instead as a football club in their own right.
Response to the sacking was equally as uninformed by many in the media as the forthcoming sacking of Allardyce at Everton. The truth is, Silva had to leave Watford at the time he did. With form falling off a cliff and him cutting a disinterested figure, the axe had to be brandished.
Everton were equally disillusioned with their manager. Allardyce, many at Goodison consider, was the worst manager of a generation despite the minor improvement of the team. As the season was coming to a close there was major dissatisfaction towards the Englishman's regime and there was an acceptance that something fresh had to come.
The 2017/18 campaign finished. Watford laboured to 14th under their then new manager, Gracia, whilst Everton finished 8th. Despite speculation, the Spaniard remained at Vicarage Road, however Allardyce departed from Goodison.
Silva lining
Silva was appointed as his replacement. Commence the intensifying of the bad blood between the sides. As a result of the appointment, Watford launched a complaint about the manner in which the Portuguese had been approached during his tenure in Hertfordshire, but the accusations fell on deaf ears.
The 2018/19 season for both clubs has been a case of inconsistency, a lack of end product and, for Everton, defensive calamities. Zonal marking has become an age old debate for the Toffees and February has yielded mounting speculation on Silva’s future at the club.
This week on Talksport, Moshiri has stated that Silva’s future at Everton is safe.
Watford, Gracia and the Silva hate
There is no such pressure on Gracia. Watford, under the Spaniard, are an organised, functional and physical unit that press well and cause sides problems through their quick transition from defence to attack. The Hornets, like Everton, are chasing the European places and considering the profit the club made in the summer, that is a testimony to the good job Gracia is doing.
Saturday will be a maelstrom for Silva. Watford will let their feelings be known about the Portuguese and perhaps rightly so considering his behaviour at the club. As for Everton, they will not have the same passion about the game but recognise the importance of the fixture for their manager.
They call this the Z-Cars derby and whilst it is true that maybe once Silva leaves Everton in times to come the passion surrounding this fixture will fade, but Saturday is massive for both clubs.