Valerien Ismael - Manager

I thought 'near post runs' must have been outlawed, so rarely do we seem to attempt one.

 

Surely due another contract extension?

 

It honestly boggles my mind that this is who we’re putting the house on. Turgid, boring, sleep inducing football on a weekly basis and we’re giving him the master key to do whatever he wants.

Ridiculous.

 

To be fair to Val, the striking options he has are absolute crap.

 

It doesn't matter who the head coach is, the squad is incredibly limited. That's why I don't really care if Ismael gets the boot or not, the head coach doesn't matter at this club.

Ben Manga was meant to signal change and then we found out he was given absolutely no responsibility and Pozzo finally got rid. Are we meant to believe that Ismael now has a big say in how things are done behind the scenes? Pozzo will get bored of him soon and the next bloke will be through the door.

 

Reminds me of the days when we were relying on the likes of Steve Butler, Peter Beadle and Lee Nogan to score our goals.

 

Lee Nogan was far better than the current options

 

The most disappointing thing from him today was that he didn't really make us any more attacking with his subs - he just kept us like for like despite the fact that Huddersfield never really caused us any threat and it's a game that was there for us to win.

Taking off Lewis for Martins and having Sema at right back would have been one idea. Ditching Livermore or even Chak when he went off for another forward would have been another. Instead we rather seemed content to only half play for the win, while remaining a bit too cautious.

 

*at left back

 

The one thing in Val's favour is that his Barnsley side had almost identical stats at the same point in 2020/21.

11v11 league table generator

They also reached the play-offs without a decent striker (their top scorer Cauley Woodrow, who has never been prolific except during a loan spell at Barnsley in League 1, only scored 12 goals).

But it may well be this season will instead turn out like 2008/09, the last season that was our second after being relegated from the Prem, where like this one we started off promisingly before soon realizing we weren't going to challenge - and we still haven't lost five in a row, gulp...

 

How many times is that now, where players discipline (or lack of) has directly affecting VI's starting eleven or squad choices this season?

I admire him sticking to his principles and trying to instill some sort of discipline and accountability amongst the squad, but ultimately it affects him playing the team he wants, therefore potentially affecting results and in turn putting more pressure on himself!

 

After the international break we could easy lose all of the seven games we have before Christmas, the easiest game is looking like Norwich but they’ll have a new manager by then. If we don’t beat Rotherham then I wonder if Pozzo will start the carousel again during the international break.

 

You may be right, but we could win most of them also! Leicester will be too good no matter how we play (baring a miracle), but the rest of them, they are beatable. i'm looking forward to these games, at least the opposition wont have 11 men behind the ball like yesterday and (most likely) next Saturday!

 

The guy is absolutely clueless. How could you not anticipate Huddersfield - with 11 players unavailable and coming off 0-4 and 1-4 defeats - to sit back and wait. DW spelled out our strategy in the WO before the game ffs:

Well, what if they don't come out? Surely, there's a contingency plan for that? Surely, you don't have to see it happen for 90+ minutes in a 0-0 draw before you go "hmm, we need a plan for this, let's analyse the game". Surely, at half time, you go - okay, they aren't threatening us, we have the ball, now we need to mix it up and create chances. Surely, you look at the bench and see our most creative player (Louza, 3 assists) and our most direct winger (Martins, 6 shots on target) and think "right, let's throw the dice here - ask some questions to the opponent". Surely, you tell the players it's fine to keep possession, but after two or three sideways and backwards passes it's better to just play it forward into some potentially dangerous area, even if there isn't any obvious space or hole in their defensive lines.

I think the most bizarre stats for us at half time were these:
Possession: 70%
Attempted dribbles: 0
Attempted crosses: 0

So, for 45 minutes we had the ball more than two thirds of the time and not a single time did any Watford player even attempt to take on a man or put a cross into the box. Not once. How can you watch that and think "right, we're in control, let's just continue like this"?

Ismael always seems to be one or two steps behind. Against Leeds, Boro and Sunderland we were set up to try and dominate the games. After we got thumped, he's set us up to be more solid, which was fine against Cardiff to stop the rot. But now we're still playing the same way against the likes of Huddersfield and he seems puzzled as to why it's no longer working. Guess what, different games and different opponents require different strategies!

He also suddenly went away from the triple sub strategy at 60 minutes. Why? In this game, it would have made perfect sense. Inject some energy. Ask some new questions. Let the opponent worry about a new set of players with different skills. But no, since it didn't work last time - and he got criticised for it - he didn't do it. It's like he's not even watching the game in front of him.

I really wonder how we're going to set up against Leicester after a fortnight of analysing why we're not creating chances... I wouldn't be surprised if we're going to line up with our most creative players in an expansive shape and get thumped 0-5.

 

Not sure that would be the best time to appoint a new manager before that run of games !

 

You're forgetting the (mythical) new manager bounce!

 

Yes I’d like to see a new manager bounce when it can help get some points on the board rather than just reducing goal difference damage for a few games before petering out.

 

It’s not only December that looks very tough on paper. With the reversal in venues of the QPR fixtures, I think we face a nasty run of mostly away games in January?

 

All 4 league fixtures are away. And we could make it 5 away on the trot if the FA Cup 3rd Round gods intervene. That'd be unprecedented surely?

 

Definitely need to win Saturday to give a nice cushion for the duds at the bottom to slowly munch away at over a 2 month period.

 

One of those duds in the bottom three will get their act together so might need it...

 

VI is starting to grow on me.
In the early games I liked what he said but the team didn't seem right and I had my doubts.
However looking back - he's done what he said he'd do, and has made changes gradually giving a lot of players their chance. We're improving and starting to look like a team.

 

Rotherham will be hoping they get more of a New Manager Bounce™️ than QPR (OK, they haven't lost under Cifuentes, which is an improvement from losing their last 6, but they haven't won yet including a game against Rotherham themselves), and Wednesday, who have looked a bit better, but have still lost 4 in 5 including 2 batterings off mediocre teams

 

5 goals and 4 assists from the bench in the last 6 games - that is a brilliant return and not to be sniffed at.

 

It’s decent. Watered down a bit though in the modern game where managers can make so many subs I’d say.

 

One could argue that it actually makes things harder for strikers, as managers can bring on fresh legs in defence.

 

We should sign more benches, surprisingly effective

 

Don't give Mogi/Gino any ideas...

 

We don't need Mogi. Just £2230 and can even get it inscribed.
https://www.watford.gov.uk/parks-sports-leisure/bench-tree-donations

 

It's a slippery slope @The undeniable truth , next thing you'll be offering us a slightly rotten bench in Belgium and then the next thing you know you're in court for fraudulent activity!