I reckon we have won Seven Friday games on the trot, Norwich, Q.P.R., Fulham, Cardiff, Norwich, Middlesbrough and Stoke! Can we play all of our games on Fridays?
Same old same old, terrible first half (or were we deliberately cagey? Possibly, but some of our play was like we'd never seen a football lol), decent 25 minutes or so after that, and then they threw everything at us but we had just about enough to hold on. Hope that can be the turnaround to our awayday blues, showed some grit there. What a performance from Deeney tbf, probably the best he's played all season, great pass into Sarr, a trademark penalty, but also some nice play in the build up to the penalty
Quite possibly, it seems we generally play it safe in the first half before gradually trying to turn it on in the second half. That said, some of our first half performances have been so bad I'm not sure you can put it down to that sometimes!
Very good win. First half was poor I thought but Stoke didn’t create much and our extra quality showed with a much better second half performance. Another good Deeney performance 2 in a row. Momentum building now.
This has been a common theme actually going back to last season post-lockdown. Under Pearson until Deulofeu got that season-turning injury we usually started games on the front foot, or at least with some kind of clear gameplan, even in games we didn't win. In the Championship we have commonly got away with it, in the Prem we didn't unless the opposition was poor or didn't look interested (Norwich and Newcastle) and that's what got us relegated. People have called it apathy, lack of commitment or fitness, but could it be that GD just gave us that impetus that we have so often lacked since Liverpool?
Garner didn't look too happy himself. But it had to be Wilmot, Stoke had put on another big man and it was clear they were going to keep bombing it into the box.
It seems to me xisco plays a cagey first half then allows us to play more football in the second - for example sarr seems to have a freer role second half - stoke ran out of gas as the game wore on
So much for Sarr being our worst ever signing! Use him properly and he will win us games. He's almost as quick as that lad Deeney I reckon.
The second coming of QSF was not what we hoped, but that match was bloody good down the pub as I recall.
Must have been the thinking behind taking Hughes off after 60, thought he was alright, but a good job to seal the win without him, hopefully with an eye to him starting as normal in midweek
Well, we're not exactly playing sexy football or anything, nothing much has changed, but...we do seem to a bit more prolific under Xisco? Is there something there? Is he giving the players a little more freedom, or is it that they're responding better to an arm around the shoulder rather than a strict disciplinarian?
Phew! Made hard work of that, but good thing we held out. Fair play to Deeney for his contribution tonight, he was a lot better. Well taken penalty and what a brilliant assist for Sarr. Pedro as well played very well, very impressed with him again. Bachmann and Sierralta looked good again, but bloody hell Masina had a shocker. Chalobah also wasn't great. Deserved the win overall, but that 1st half was concerning. It may just be a confidence thing, as we looked so much better and more professional after the first goal. Looks as though we're building momentum, and thank goodness we're improving away from home. A stress-free weekend awaits....
Deeney playing in a deeper role ON PURPOSE, rather than playing deep because he is not fast enough to get in the box where he should have been playing, has made a big difference IMO. TD is now using his best asset for the team which is his football brain, and is creating chances for lads like Pedro and Sarr who have got the pace that he no longer has, I can get into the box. Bachmann - Solid game and filling in nicely for BB at the moment - 7 Kiko - His quietest game for a while, but still did OK - 6 TEK - I'm not overly convinced by him ATM - 5.5 Sierralta - Has been a revelation and is playing well IMO - 8 Masina - made a couple of errors tonight, but did OK otherwise - 6 Cleverly - Steady game always gives his all - 7 Chalobah - Is settling in as our main DFM, and despite one big brain fart did well - 7.5 Hughes - Not at his best tonight but battled away as always - 6 Sarr - Is starting to get his MoJo back, great goal and looking more committed - 8 Deeney - See above comments MotM - 9 Pedro - This kid has real attitude and is already some player - 8.5 Ngakia - Did OK - 6 Zinckernagel - quite game tonight - 6 Cathcart - Did OK - 6 Gray & Wilmot - Not on long enough to be rated.
I think more than one thing was going on: To Stoke's credit they were far more up-for-it, energetic and aggressive in the first half, winning all the 50/50's and so forth. Much like Barnsley, in that respect, although rather better. But, for all their huff and puff, they didn't create much. Much like Barnsley. Maybe these teams are treating Watford with a lot of determination and Watford haven't displayed so much of that. But also, maybe, Watford are playing it that way: A game is played over 95 minutes, not 45. People talk about game management, but there also season management going on: We've just played 3 games in 7 (n0t 6, as some people are claiming) days. There's another game on Tues. It doesn't matter how much you are paid, you just can't muster 100% all the time. You lose those fractions of seconds that make a difference. The season is a marathon and all that. So, you let them come at you, weather it, and then start to play faster and further up field later on. For those of you who are fight fans: Rope-a-dope, football style. A number of us are seeing a pattern and I wonder if this is what is happening. Maybe.
Xisco is allowing them to express themselves by the sound of Troy’s post match interview. I think he’s injecting some fun into the camp and we are about to see another coach make a name for himself at Watford. I see similarities to slither with the way the players are responding to him. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If the season continues on this vein, and we managed to go up in 2nd place - my question is this.... Will there have ever been a team that’s gone up whilst being awful to average for well over 90% of the season?
