Watford 1-2 Manchester City - 04/12/2018

So we're only 2 points short of our best ever points tally at this stage of the season since returning to the EPL. What a remarkably good job Javi is doing.

 

Hughes has clearly looked tired recently. Nearly every Watford fan wanted him to be rotated with his current form. He is now injured.

Gracia started the season well. However, he and the club should know that whilst you can sometimes get a decent start with pressing football and relatively little rotation, it will catch up with you by December/ January both through fatigue/ injuries and by the lack of match-fit replacements.

I wasn't worried about losing last night. Our tactic was to allow them possession and hope they grew frustrated - which almost paid off. I'm more worried about the physical, and especially, mental fatigue when we do have the ball. We've lost that sharpness of mind that allowed us to quickly see movement and make the clever run to get in behind the last line of defence.

 

We won't.

 

The margins are tiny though?

 

The issue is not where we are in the table now. The issue is the run we are on after the first 4 games and the performance of our strikers.

 

Both of which point to which way we should be looking at the table - down.

 

If we get 3 pt from the next 2 games, it will be our 2nd best season.

 

We got away very lightly last night. Too many passengers who didn't want to do the dirty work. Pereyra, Doucoure and Chalobah were poor. Success was absolutely abysmal, like a modern day Marvin Sordell.

Get the Everton defeat out of the way and then hopefully put out a team that will face up to a scrap with Cardiff. Start with Deeney and Gray up top and we may have a chance.

 

Switch Hughes to the middle and put Deulfoeu out wide - simples

 

I don't think you need to say either just to appease fans

 

You said we were never in it when clearly we were. You have said it was better last season than last night but I don't agree. We agree on poor performance of certain players. You said we should have pressed them which I disagree with hence the comment about the Barca video I mentioned.

 

Thought our closing down from the front very poor yesterday, a conscious decision from Gracia ?
Gray for all his faults did at least run his socks off for the time he was on the pitch.

 

We sat back to make sure there was little space for them to work in, in and around the penalty area which worked. We let them have it in the middle third knowing if we pushed up pressed we would have left gaps which they would have exploited. What didn't work was allowing Mahrez to cut back in on his left foot every single time. Show him down the outside, he is incredibly one footed and that's where most of our problems were

 

I am now convinced you must have watched an entirely different game.

 

It's an odd thing this looking back at previous seasons as it makes no difference. What it doesn't show you is who you've played or how far away from top 6 or bottom 3 or is anybody rock bottom or running away with it at the top. All these things make a difference.I don't know, but it's possible that if we won against Everton it would be the best total of points after 16 games we've ever had. What I would say is that it's been far more enjoyable watching us this season than any of the others, maybe except the first few under Silva

 

Did we sit quite deep? Yes. Did Mahrez constantly switch back on to his left foot? Yes. Was there acres of space around the penalty area? No. Did we let them have the ball in the middle third of the pitch? Yes.
Those are the four things I mentioned, do you disagree with them?

 

Holebas has now just realised that he shoud have forced Mahrez onto his right foot...I knew he'd get there in the end.

 

How is that a remarkably good job though?

He's actually got some striker options, something Mazzarri didn't have. A fully fit Pereyra AND Gerard to boot?

 

We let them have plenty of space around the edges of the penalty box. So yes, I disagree.

You seem to be asking questions and then giving the answers you believed you saw. I came away from the game thinking we were too respectful at times but wasn’t being too harsh on them. Having watched it back on BT this morning, I felt differently and thought we played in awe of them for 90% of the game. I’m not debating the gulf in class between the two sides - I am debating that the way we set up to play and then the way we implemented that style were completely ineffectual in even attempting to bridge that gulf in class.

Watch it back and you’ll see we literally played into their hands and let them implement their preferred style without so much as a kick in anger.

You’ve talked as if we let David Silva and Bernardo have the ball in the centre circle but then they hit a wall when trying advance it - the truth is they were 20 yards more advanced and picking balls at will to Mahrez and Sane. When the wingers found no change from their full-back opponents, they shipped the ball back inside to the above mentioned ACM’s who were rarely intercepted or more than 5-10 yards outside our penalty area.

Watch the game again and you literally cannot deny that fact.

 

Agree with what you're saying in parts, it means little but the facts are we have fewer points at this stage than in any previous seasons. At 15 games that's only 4 teams we haven't played once yet.

That is: Everton, Cardiff, West Ham & Chelsea. Of which we'd hope at best for 4-6 points right?

Agreed that the football has for the large been better than other seasons.

 

How would you know our performance last year was better? According to the majority of your posts you are either a) too p155ed to have watched the game, b) left the ground after 20 mins as we were a goal behind or c) not at the game at all as we were too sh1t to waste your money on supporting Watford.

For you to be able to make comment on the whole game last night I assume you stayed to watch Manchester City as perhaps secretly you would like to support them because they win the majority of their games

 

The bar isn't that high though is it? And he's below it.

 

I see all the knicker wetters are out in force once again .

I think the best thing about our winning start to the season was it meant all the knicker wetters scurried away to their bedrooms , to only be consoled by Mummy cooking their favourite tea and watching Minions in their Spider-Man pyjamas.

 

You have a very strange mind and a very vivid imagination !
Will you be concerned if we lose to Everton and fail to beat Cardiff ?

 

It’s come to something when the best you can say about an £18m footballer is that he ‘runs about well’.

 

Yes I was shouting the same stuff last season - I’m as bored as reading these opinions now as I was then, and you may well feel the same about my views.

However, my point to you was specifically about Ben Foster, a fantastic goalkeeper. It’s just a small example of one of the many things you read terribly terribly wrong.

 

8 min. Good link up play from Deeney and Pereyra sees Pereyra try an ambitious curling shot from just inside the penalty area, when both Success and Kiko were better passing options. A let off for City

10 min, City nearly score. A bad cross field pass from Pereyra, is easily intercepted by Sane. He runs directly towards the Watford goal and Watford’s only hope to avoid going a goal behind is Foster. He makes the first of many incredible saves, by clawing away Sane’s shot at full stretch for a corner.

18 min. An incredible double save from Foster. First he denies Mahrez, then the rebound shot from David Silva as Watford somehow survive again. If you watch closely these saves are remarkable. Foster is not just making himself big and hoping the ball hits him, he’s actually reading the little chipped shots and is getting his hand to it to push it away. Rarely have I seen a keeper quite so talented at saving this type of shot. Amazing reactions.

21 min. Chalobah tries an ambitious long range shot which Ederson comfortably catches.

30 min. Another smart save from Foster as Jesus skips around Kabasele and from a tight angle Foster is able to smother the ball behind from a corner.

31 min. Watford’s best chance to open the scoring. After a chipped cross by Success bounces around the City box, Doucoure plays an overhead pass which falls perfectly for Deeney. The striker gets a shot away from close range but Ederson saves with his feet.

39 min. Mahrez flights in a perfect ball. Sane gets in behind Kiko and chests is down and under the star jumping Foster. It was a brilliantly simple goal, that only high class players can create.

42 min. Mahrez beats the offside trap and races clear. As he shoots Kabasele does a brilliant job of tracking back and hurls himself at the ball deflecting just wide for a corner.

49 min. Success gives the ball away and City pounce. They produce a wonderful flowing passing move, all one touch which eventually finds Mahrez unmarked and he hits a firm, crisp first time shot past Holebas and Foster. It’s the speed of movement that catches Watford out.

67 min. Success curls a shot high over the bar from the edge of the penalty area.

68 min. Deulofeu falls over the ball, which allows City to break clear. Mahrez plays in Jesus who is through on goal with only Foster to beat. He tries to chip it over the keeper, this time he succeeds but sends it wide.

70 min. A good Holebas freekick finds Success but his tame header is easily dealt with by Ederson.

73 min. A good move by Watford sees Deeney play a clever ball to Doucoure who is in a good position to shoot, but again it’s a tame effort that Ederson easily saves.

81 min. Mahrez produces yet another top drawer save from Foster, who is at full stretch, but still manages to get a firm hand on the ball to beat it away.

84 min. Good chasing by Deulofeu sees him win the ball and advance to the edge of the penalty area. He plays a perfect cross to Gray, who completely misses the ball when trying to clip it in. Luckily it falls straight to Doucoure. He tries to head the ball in from close range and he too misses his connection. The ball rather hits his face and drops to his feet. He then tries to stab it home, but it hits Walker on the line, the ball once more falls to Doucoure who this time manages to toe-poke it apologetically into the net at the third time of asking.

86 min. A good Holebas corner finds Deeney. He’s unmarked but his header although on target does not have the necessary power to beat Ederson who saves comfortably.

92 min. It’s Alamo time. Everyone is up for a corner, including Foster. After a big scramble Doucoure has a half chance, but his shot is blocked for another corner.

From transcribing the match it's clear to see what our problems are. We are so powderpuff up front. Nearly all our shots lack any sort of power. Even in this game we had chances, but because the technique of our players is not good, these chances turn into tame efforts.

We were also very sloppy in possession. City didn't really open us up on their own. They just waited for our mistakes and were lethal. Virtually all their attacks came from misplaced Watford passes.

I don't often mention the opposition, but my god, how good was Mahrez. He was instrumental in virtually everything they did in an attacking sense. A brilliant display from him.

 

Would be bad negotiating procedure if they made that public.

Sorry, UAE, just seen your post.

 

I've warned you before about following me.

 

I feel ill informed concerning the game having followed it on a very questionable and inconsistent mobile site.

Therefore I can but say 2-1 is at least great for goal difference.

And the final 8 minutes I got a steady stream for was awesome.

 

Got to go with you on all this. And add that the reason City can play this way is the fantastic quality of all their players. Although their football is fluid it is also very well organised.
And they are fit and work hard. When Watford got the ball they were immediately threatened at pace by small packs of City players; and this was probably the main reason the Watford players made so many individual mistakes, rather than them 'not being up up for it' or 'lazy'. And one other area City are so good is their intelligence: Several times Watford's play was anticipated brilliantly (and rapidly).

 

I agree Doucs is a long term issue.

He's wearing his confidence around his ankles.

 

Well, you saw the good bit.

The Horace Stream may become what Stuboy's Stools were for the promo season.

 

Yes, Chalobah was off the pace last night; but I thought he was better than at Southampton, where he was really poor. He needs game time. Using my special mind-reading powers, I would think Gracia would not have started with him if Capoue was available.

 

Interesting perspective (as always).

Alf Ramsey wouldn't have tolerated silly haircuts & he won the World Cup.

In the search for incremental advantage, should Javi hire a team barber?