Watford FC - Pre Season 2016/17

I was thinking today that Redmond will have a field day next week.

 

Watford vs Lorient Highlights

http://sportyhighlights.com/watford-vs-lorient-highlights/

 

Iggy passed the ball a few times today!

Progress.

 

Fair enough, I should have said sounded comfortable.

 

Next week is the first match of the season, not the last.

Sides change and evolve over a campaign. It's always been so. Go back to last season's opener. Layun got the first goal, then departed a fortnight later. Our top scorer didn't make the starting eleven. Prodl and Behrami seemed certs to play all season but were soon displaced by Britos and Watson. And so on.

Obviously we all hope the 3 quality replacements arrive this week and yes most of us can see we are not quite the finished article just yet, but it's a mistake to see next Saturday as the 'be all and end all'.

There is still plenty of time to reinforce and many many more weeks ahead to get everybody integrated and playing to their potential.

The starting line today wasn't the worst in the world either, despite a lack of creativity behind the strikers (though Capoue got an assist today and played well). It's full of PL experience and is more than capable of getting something next weekend, should it be the one we go with. And there's more option from the bench too.

 

Quite. It's a nonsense Zuniga hasn't had any time at WB if the intention is to play him there. Are we really having Anya as first choice starter there? Seems so to me.

 

Judging from the highlights Success looks dangerous, but it was pretty poor not to finish that one-on-one he had - it kinda ties in to what a lot of people have said about him that he's very good at getting in to scoring positions but lacks an end product. Hopefully most of that is down to age and it won't cost us while we wait for it to improve.

 

Zuniga has only started 13 club games in the last three seasons and is approaching 31. Maybe he doesn't have the legs to be a wing back in the Premier League and he'll be used as cover/a utility player rather than a regular starter?

 

Same age as Holebas

I imagine he's started more games than Holebas as well

Besides if Anya is supposed to be first choice then Gino has lost his marbles, gone plane cukoo

 

I make it that Holebas has started over 70 games in the last three seasons. From watching him last season, he's also clearly still quick and fit for his age. I haven't seen enough of Zuniga so I'm merely speculating.

Agree with you about Anya though. The only reason I can think of for starting him is that his pace does stretch the opposition and gives more time and space to our other players. Even then, that's about as generous an interpretation as I can think of for justifying his place in the team...

 

Sorry in the last season I was referring to, didn't make that clear, not sure how they compare but neither started more than a handful

 

Holebas started 11 league games and 2 in the FA Cup. I was surprised too, thought it would be much lower. Zuniga started 3.

 

It's a fair point Steve, but I would suggest if Zuniga isn't capable of putting in a shift at wing back and Anya is the number one option the we are very weak in that area by premier standards. I like Anya's attitude, he has electric pace and he is homegrown. However he has a poor final ball and has a below average footballing brain. Remove his pace and he'd struggle to get into a Championship side as a starter. Still happy with him as an option off the bench though.

 

What's all this Jolevas nonsense? Surely you mean Cholevas?

 

Post of the season is already yours.

 

Another possibility of course is that Djedje was signed to be the first-choice in that position..but of course he has been injured ever since joining us.

As I posted last night, sides evolve as seasons progress. It's a mistake to assume the eleven who start next weekend must therefore automatically be the same eleven who will play in those positions all season.

My guess is we will look quite different in some positions by game week 5, the first one back after the window shuts and the first international break.

 

Remove Anya's pace and he'd be a rotation option for my Sunday league team.

 

X*ĺev*ăßs

 

Remove Ighalo's goals and he'd be a pile of ****. Remove Gomes' reactions and he'd be a mess.

 

Remember it wasn't until Stoke away last season that Britos actually started a game in the Premier League, that was game 10, and apart from a disaster game at Preston in the Cup hadn't even stepped onto the pitch in the P.L.

Let's not write off these other players just yet, as with Britos there last season, there are always surprises!

 

Britos, Holebas, Watson, Success and Doucouré looked good. Ighalo still doesn't have a first touch and Troy was pretty awful if we're honest. All started falling apart when Behrami came on, not sure if that was down to him or not, Lorient seemed to be getting at the back 4 much more after he came on though.

 

I think it has to be a 433 until such time as we sort out the rwb position and a proper #10

Nyom rb (the best of a bad job)

Ducoure, Watson, Capoue in the middle

Ighalo, Deeney, Success up top



Considering we were supposedly building for 352 / 3412 that's p*** poor preparation not to have the squad for it

 

We looked so much better yesterday in 4 3 3. At the moment our squad is far better suited to it, especially as Success needs to start , from what I saw yesterday .

 

Okay

 

How do we not have the squad for it though? We've signed specialist wing backs for it, one is injured and for all we know Zuniga hasn't played much because he and Mazzarri know exactly what they're getting from each other. All we need is an attacking midfielder and suddenly the world seems a better place.

People seem to be fixated on the fact that we're 3-5-2 and if Mazzarri strays from it it's failed and it's a disaster. Mazzarri, Prodl and Gomes have all said that we'll be switching formations. We may have switched to 4-3-3 yesterday because of an injury to Cathcart, to give Success minutes or because 3-5-2 has been done to death in pre-season and the game called for 4-3-3, who knows? Everyone has just jumped to the conclusion that it's because 3-5-2 doesn't work.

 

I agree with this. I do not think 3-5-2 works in the EPL, unless you have very good players. We have a decent squad, but without another centre half, we would be asking for trouble playing just three at the back. QPR cut us to shreds, so it's clear to me, we are not ready to play this way.

4-3-3 is our best bet, with the squad we currently have. Success looks too useful and has to start. Those three along the front line will cause problems to most teams.

The three in midfield would have to do a lot of work though, with this system. You can have Behrami or Watson sitting deep, with Dourcoure or Capoue box to box, and the missing link of that AM/playmaker we are so desperate for.

You can have you wing backs staying deep as well, with the licence to join attacks when appropriate. It would be a compromise system to 3-5-2 as it would protect our goal better, without reducing our attacking threat.

 

Shut up Kieren.

 

Agree that Success does look ready to start, he's a monster. If people get too tight he's strong enough to roll them and if you give him space he'll run past you with his pace. I like that fact that he doesn't beat his man and go straight for the shot, he got his head up and tried to thread the ball through to Ighalo a few times. Didn't come off but at least he's looking to create.

 

Well if you're right, and Wally doesn't think Zuniga needs match fitness, get used to his team mates on the pitch, get used to the speed of the English game...then he's an idiot

 

We don't need a #10 if 433, we have most of what we need except a proper left back

Although it would have made sense to keep Beghuis for a 433


I can't help thinking we didn't get plan A right and now plan B isn't quite right either... oh we'll be alright and come 10th-15th but it could have been so much better

 

What I hope to see, and am confident we will, is flexibility this season. So, with that in mind, yesterday was exactly what a pre-season friendly was all about..start off with one formation (which incidentally saw us keep a clean sheet) and finish with another.

If Mazzarri were to say 'we will play 3-5-2 every minute of the season and never deviate' then obviously this would be crazy, as it would automatically eliminate several of our squad from being able to fit into their best position. (as happened last season at times) But he hasn't. Yesterday was a revelation in that regards!

I'm no great expert in formations and knowing which works best etc, but what I would like is for us to pick a system that works best for the talent we have. That might not necessarily be the 11 players we consider to be the best, but the best way of encompassing 11 good players in a system that works. If we looked better yesterday with a front 3, then let's do it! (at least at times). If we need to be more defensive at times on the road, let's do 3-5-2.

I don't think any of us want another season of seeing players shoehorned into the starting eleven but in positions that don't bring out the best in them. It's the old 'Lampard-Gerrard debate' from ten years ago! Or another season of the same formation trotted out whether home or away, tough fixture or easier one.

 

I tend to agree.

Pace alone is not enough,Anya being a prime example. However pace and strength are a problem and it will be interesting to see if Walter starts him at Southampton.

I like Behrami but he worries me when he dives in near the penalty area.

 

It will be interesting to see our approach on Saturday.

Do we look at it and think 'tough away match to kick off' so we play a more defensive formation? Do we adopt the approach of last August and think a point from the opener is decent, something in the bank already, don't lose early on etc?

Or do we say 'our next 2 fixtures after this are real toughies, Southampton also have a new Head Coach, they'll be nervous at home, they've lost Mane and Pelle, let's go for it from the start?'

 

I'm pretty sure we'll go defensive Malts, just a hunch.

 

Yeah I tend to agree. Keep it tight. Try and nick something late on.

Saints have tended to play a diamond formation pre-season. Redmond has played up to alongside Long, with Tadic at the front of the diamond. They have their last pre-season match this afternoon.