Fancy a drinking game? Take a shot every time Fabio Silva says "the most important" in an interview. You'll need to be able to hold your drink.
On Saturday evening, after scoring as a substitute in Borussia Dortmund's 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich, Silva used the phrase "das Wichtigste" four times while speaking to the press. During his few minutes in the mixed zone, another favourite emerged: "Everyone can see."
"The most important thing was the mentality. We came here to show that we want to fight for titles and aren’t afraid of any team. I think everyone can see that we have a top squad this season to fight for big goals," said Silva. Like his team-mate Nico Schlotterbeck, who had appeared shortly before him, he spoke with unmistakable confidence.
Coming off the bench in Munich, the Portuguese delivered another excellent display. His goal showed it all: the instinct to anticipate where the ball would go, a deliberate first touch that set up the shot, a turn in a tight space and a precise finish.
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Paco Alcacer? Fabio Silva is the best substitute in BVB history!
"My father always told me I had to 'smell' the ball in the penalty area. And I was there to convert the rebound. I’m glad I could help the team," he said. Silva has now scored five goals in competitive matches this season, having managed three in the whole of last season. Seven goal involvements in 13 appearances is an impressive return for a player who has started only five times.
There is a case for calling Silva the best substitute in Dortmund's history. Paco Alcacer is the obvious rival, and the former BVB striker holds the Bundesliga record. The Spaniard scored twelve goals off the bench for the Westphalian club between 2018 and 2020. No player in the league's history has scored more as a substitute.
Silva has scored six goals as a substitute for Borussia Dortmund. Goals matter, of course, but the 24-year-old has the edge over Alcacer in other areas. He brings infectious energy as soon as he comes on, gets involved straight away, regularly offers a passing option and threatens to score or create. His work rate off the bench stands out.
Getty ImagesFabio Silva gave BVB a better result seven times
Of Silva's 17 goal involvements in 52 competitive appearances for Dortmund, eight goals and nine assists, seven helped BVB achieve a better result than they had been heading for before he came on.
Yet Silva's place in the squad this season looked far from certain in the summer. Just a year after Dortmund had paid Wolverhampton Wanderers €22.5 million for the one-cap international, he and his entourage were keen on a move.
A season in the shadow of the established Serhou Guirassy had apparently taken its toll. Coach Niko Kovac continued to back Guirassy even through conspicuous goalless spells. Silva still registered a respectable ten goal involvements, three goals and seven assists, but started only ten of his 39 competitive matches.
Getty ImagesSummer transfer rumours: what Fabio Silva says now
"There was too much fuss around me during the transfer window, but that’s normal and part of football," Silva said in Munich, looking back on that period roughly three months ago. A meeting with Kovac and sporting director Ole Book changed his mind. "We had a great conversation before the transfer window closed. I feel, and I knew it too, that I still have a lot to give this club. I have even more to give it. I love playing for this club and the fans. I’m happy here," he said.
Starting has brought different challenges for Silva at Dortmund. He has performed much better as a substitute. From kick-off, he sometimes tries to do too much, overthinks his decisions, can be too selfish and forces chances for himself. Last season, BVB won only three of the ten matches he started. He played alongside Guirassy in four of them.
Alongside Guirassy, though, Silva has looked more comfortable this season. The two forwards appear to enjoy playing together, and their interplay has worked well on several occasions. "It’s not just about goals. As a player, I’m more than just a goalscorer," said Silva. "Especially when I’m on the pitch with Serhou. We work very well together. He’s one of the best players in his position. I learn from him every day."
Getty ImagesBetween the bench and the starting line-up: Fabio Silva seems to have accepted his BVB role
His new favourite phrase soon returned: "Everyone can see that we can sometimes play together and that we enjoy it." That "sometimes" captures Silva's position. He will occasionally start alongside Guirassy, but at a club like BVB, with the Guinean competing for his place, he cannot count on it.
Silva seems to have accepted that. The grumpiness and slight petulance that surfaced at times in his first year and at the Super Cup at the start of the season have gone. His performances have improved with them.
"Of course I’d rather start than sit on the bench. If I claimed otherwise, I wouldn’t be 100 per cent honest," said Silva. "I always try to stay positive during the week. When I see that I’m not playing, of course I’m annoyed at first, but I know I can be important for the team, this season I’ve been important both as a starter and as a substitute."
Getty ImagesAre BVB ready to win titles? "That is our weapon this season"
So far, Kovac's "finishers", as he likes to call his substitutes, have made an enormous impact. BVB substitutes have recorded twelve goal involvements, joint-most in the league alongside RB Leipzig. Their eight assists leading to goals after eight matchdays set a new Bundesliga record.
Where that takes Dortmund remains to be seen at this early stage of the season. But in the bowels of the Allianz Arena on Saturday, those involved made clear that BVB believe they can win silverware this year.
"We came here to win. That has to be our attitude this season," said Silva, who last won a title with PSV Eindhoven more than three years ago. "We have a lot of quality in our team. And we know we have a fantastic team this year. The lads in the starting line-up, the lads who come off the bench: they always make their mark. That is our weapon this season: everyone sticks together, everyone is in the same boat and gives everything, because the fans and everyone at the club deserve to win titles."
Fabio Silva: his record at BVB
Competitive appearances | Goals | Assists |
52 | 8 | 9 |