Blog written by ad_wilkin
Published: 11th December 2023 11:50
Watford started the season with a 4-0 thrashing of QPR but then only won once in their next nine games.
They’re currently on a run of only one loss in their last ten games and that 2-0 defeat came at league leaders Leicester City. That form has taken them up to 10th in the table at the time of writing.
Following a mid-table finish last season under a combination of Rob Edwards, Slavan Bilic and Chris Wilder, Watford pulled the trigger once more in the summer and turned to Valerian Ismael, who has pedigree in the division having reached the play-offs with Barnsley in 2020/21.
His Watford win percentage of 35% is currently the second lowest of his career (his lowest was 28.57% at FC Nurnburg) and he will be hoping this run of form will see that to continue to rise with the Hornets having outside hope of the play-offs.
<h1>Goalkeepers </h1>
Daniel Bachmann has played 16 games in goal for Watford so far but his place as number one keeper is now in doubt having been sent off against Leicester.
He’s kept six clean sheets, which shows Watford are a solid defensively having won a lot of games this season 1-0, but his individual performances have him on -0.58 goals prevented, which isn’t the worst but could be better.
He’s been at Watford since 2019 and was a regular last season. He’s a keeper that can produce match-winning displays but also one who can produce howlers
Pushing him for the starting berth is Ben Hamer. He started his first game of the season in the 5-0 victory against Rotherham before Bachmann came back in against Leicester and got his red card.
Hamer has played the next couple despite Bachmann being available again with an excellent performance against Hull producing six saves, including a penalty with a goals prevented rate of 1.87. That form should see him keep the number one spot for the time being.
<h1>Defenders </h1>
Watford have consistently lined up in a 4-3-3 throughout the season. At right-back has been a combination of Jeremy Ngakia and Ryan Andrews.
Andrews is the current holder of the shirt having started the last four games in a row. The 19-year-old youth product broke into the team at the back end of last season playing the last six games of the season.
He scored his first professional goal in the 2-0 victory over Birmingham but was also sent off with a straight red in the 2-0 defeat at Sunderland in a hit and miss start to the season so far.
Ngakia is still only 23 but compared to Andrews is an old head with 72 appearances for Watford since joining from West Ham in 2020 on a free transfer. He’s always dipped in and out of the team having his best game in the 1-0 victory against Swansea, but has struggled with consistency and looks to be behind Andrews in the pecking order.
As Wes Burns was scoring a Quaresma-esque outside-of-the-foot finish against Coventry, a fellow Wesley was scoring an equally outrageous attempt, Wesley Hoedt lobbing Hull keeper Ryan Allsop from just inside the opposition half.
It was the Dutchman’s second goal of the season and he looks to be thriving having taken the captain's armband for the last couple of games. For someone who has played Premier League, Serie A and La Liga football, you would expect him to be one of the top defenders in the Championship and that has proved to be the case.
He’s featured in four Sofascore Teams of the Week and has the highest accurate long balls per game rate, averaging 9.2 a game which is almost two passes higher than Dom Hyam in second place. He also tops the interception per game leaderboard on 2.1
He is partnered by Ryan Porteous, who is in fifth place for accurate long balls, which is a good indicator as to Watford’s more direct style of play.
The 24-year-old Scotsman has been a regular in the side since joining the club from Hibernian in January 2023. He made 157 appearances for Hibs, scoring 13 goals and also chipping in with eight assists, and scored on his debut for the Hornets.
His partnership with Hoedt is now almost a year old and they have formed a solid defensive unit at the back.
Breaking up that partnership briefly and also appearing alongside the pair on the odd occasion Watford have operated with a back three, has been Chile international Francisco Sieralta.
Sieralta joined the Hornets from Serie A side Udinese back in 2020 and has now made 72 appearances for the club. He can play as either a centre-back or a defensive midfielder and has recently been brought on to help see out games.
Also coming on for the last ten minutes of the game against Hull was Matthew Pollock. Pollock was snapped up as a promising youngster from Grimsby Town back in 2021 and has has loan spells out at Cheltenham Town and then Aberdeen.
He’s returned to Vicarage Road this season and will be looking to show he’s got what it takes to play Championship football. His five appearances so far this season have averaged ten minutes on the pitch and haven’t produced any major incidents, with Pollock looking solid enough and helping to see out games so far.
As we move across to left-back we find a former Canary in Jamal Lewis, who is currently on loan from Newcastle. The 25-year-old was one of Norwich’s best players in the Premier League when they got relegated and that form saw him get a big money move to St James' Park.
He started the first 12 games of the 2020/21 season for the Magpies before a knee injury which has been a persistent problem throughout his career resurfaced and was followed by further hamstring and groin issues.
So far this season he’s managed to stay fit and has made that left-back spot his own starting the last 12 matches in a row. He got his first assist of the season against Hull.
Left-back was clearly an area that need strengthening in the summer as the occupant for the first five games was 22-year-old James Morris, who is still very early into his Championship career having played only 21 games for the Hornets. He coped okay at the start but his form dipped off before Lewis came in to replace him.
<h1>Midfielders </h1>
Watford pack the middle of the park using a midfield three and at the base of that three currently is the resurgent Jake Livermore. The 34-year-old was released by West Brom and picked up by Watford in the summer on a free transfer, bringing his tough-tackling to Vicarage Road.
Livermore has made 226 Championship appearances, 12 of which came in a loan spell at Portman Road way back in 2010/11.
A lot of Hornets fans were unsure about Livermore when he signed but since he’s started getting regular games, he’s been really effective at the base of that midfield, often sitting very deep and allowing the other two central midfielders to form an attacking five going forward.
Alongside him in recent weeks have been Edo Kayembe and Ismael Kone.
Twenty-one-year-old Canadian Kone joined from MLS side CF Montreal in January this year. He’s made 34 appearances since then, some coming from the bench and some as starts but he’s started the last couple of games and scored his first goal for the club a few games ago against Norwich.
He was also on the scoresheet in the latest international break in a 3-2 defeat to Jamaica, so he comes into this game in good goalscoring form.
Kayembe is also currently in good form which explains why the two of them are currently starting. The Democratic Republic of Congo international scored in the 2-1 win against Hull to take his season total to two with an 11% goal conversion rate.
He suffered a calf injury halfway through last season which saw him miss a lot of football and was eased back into the side this year, but since a good performance against Swansea hasn’t looked back and has now started the last seven matches in a row.
The pair of them have displaced Tom Dele-Bashiru and Imran Louza, who had flanked either Livermore or Sierralta a lot at the start of the season.
Former Manchester City youngster Bashiru was signed as a promising prospect but suffered a cruciate ligament tear in his first season with the club.
A loan spell out to Reading in 2021/22 saw him regain his fitness before returning to Vicarage Road where he was still unable to really break into the team.
He was one of the scorers in the opening day win against QPR this season and had a sustained spell in the middle for 11 of the next 12 games before dropping out of the side.
That midfield switch also saw Louza drop out of the team. The Moroccan, who signed from French side Nantes for a significant fee in 2021, scored five goals and assisted four last season in only 21 appearances in a stop-start period hit by injuries.
Like Dele-Bashiru, he also started the season well with a goal and an assist against QPR, but has tailed off and not hit the same heights as previously.
Both he and Dele-Bashiru favour the more attacking side of the game compared to Kayembe and Kone, who probably bring the work-rate that Ismael wants in that midfield three and if their winning form continues that area of the side is likely to stay pretty stable with the other two having to make do with time off the bench.
<h1>Forwards </h1>
Moving forward to look at the front three, there are four main wing options for Watford that have rotated fairly regularly.
We’ll start with Ken Sema, who is always the highest player on the pitch with his average position being way ahead of all of his teammates.
This is likely to be from the regularity of those long-ball switches across the pitch. He is also a dribbling threat with a large number of successful dribbles completed.
He has three assists so far this season but that could be even more with his cross accuracy currently sitting at only 17%. However, some of that could be down to the pure volume of balls that he puts into the box, his 1.1 crosses per game putting him in joint 14th position in the league.
On the other side in recent games playing as in inside forward compared to Ken Sema’s wing role, has been Yaser Asprilla.
The talented Colombian has the tendency to drift in and out of games with the matches against Leicester and Hull not his best, but he is also able to produce some moments of magic and is currently in a good spell of form with three goals and an assist in his last eight games.
He’s only 20 years old and has three caps for Colombia, making the squad but not getting off of the bench in the recent international break and is an exciting player who can get bums off seats for the Hornets.
The alternative option for that position is the much more experienced Tom Ince.
Ince was tipped to go right to the top when he was a youngster with Liverpool but it hasn’t quite worked out that way. Injury issues and hit and miss form have failed to see him breach the top level but he has built a very successful career in the Championship despite bouncing from club to club.
He has 380 Championship appearances to his name across his time at Blackpool, Nottingham Forest, Derby, Stoke, Luton, Reading and now Watford, and has scored 93 goals and assisted 61 in that time, which are very very good Championship numbers.
He was another signing that could have been seen as a bit of a risk at the time but he’s added some much-needed experience to an otherwise fairly young Watford team and although not a regular starter, he’s certain to make an impact off of the bench and has two goals and two assists from his time on the pitch this season, which averages out at 41 minutes a game.
Back on the left-hand side Matheus Martins is an alternative option to Sema but a different style as he’s naturally right-footed.
The 20-year-old Brazilian was snapped up by Watford's sister club Udinese in January 2023 and was immediately sent on loan to Vicarage Road.
He was in and out of the side from January but started this season well with three goals in his first seven games. He has added one more since then and is exceeding his xG by 2.25, which gives you some idea of the types of goals his scoring, two of them coming from outside the box.
He’s been replaced by the more industrious Sema in recent games but is another player on the Watford bench who can bring a spark and change a game.
The final option in those attacking wing areas is Giorgi Chakvetadze, who was perhaps a strange loan when he joined from KAA Gent this summer as his most natural position is in the number ten role.
With Ismael playing a 4-3-3 he has struggled for game time being used either out on the left-hand side or in the midfield three.
He’s only made two starts and another 12 sub appearances as he is very much a square peg into a round hole. When he’s allowed to play in his natural position and get close to the striker he has been really effective with assists against Scotland and Spain in his last two international appearances for Georgia.
He has eight goals in 22 international appearances and is clearly a talent when played in his favoured position.
This leaves three out and out strikers in the squad, although it’s two into one position with third-choice Rhys Healey only making five appearances off of the bench so far.
The 29-year-old, who has spent a lot of his career bouncing around the lower league with spells at Newport, Torquay and MK Dons (where he made a name for himself with 21 goals in 42 appearances) has recently been plying his trade at French side Toulouse.
He excelled in Ligue 2 as they got promoted, scoring 20 goals in 32 appearances but struggled for game time upon their return to Ligue 1 last season before he came back to England this season on a free transfer.
He was the hero on the weekend, coming off the bench to score his first goal for the club with a last-minute equaliser against Southampton.
The player currently in possession of the main striker spot is Mileta Rajovic. The 24-year-old Dane was a bit of an unknown when he signed this summer from Swedish side Kalmar FF.
He had scored seven goals in 20 appearances in the Allsvenskan and has already hit that total in the Championship this season in only nine starts, which puts him third in the league for goals scored per minutes on the pitch. Ipswich Town’s Marcus Harness leads the way on that stat with a goal every 111 minutes.
When he gets a chance he doesn’t tend to miss. He’s exceeding his xG and has a goal conversion rate of 41%. According to fans, he is also improving game by game as he looks to add a bit more strength and power to his natural poaching instincts, so that he can be a more complete forward in that front three.
His competition in that area is Vakoun Bayo who like many players, started the season well scoring in the 4-0 win against QPR but has gone off the boil since. He still has three goals to his name but has made less of an impact in recent games.
This is a similar story to last season where he had hot and cold spells with periods of goals and then spells where he was quiet. One of his best performances of the season was against Middlesbrough when he was trialed out on the left wing. It was an area where he was able to get more touches of the ball, run at players and get plenty of shots off so that could be a permanent way of fitting him into this side.
<h1>View From the Opposition </h1>
I’ve added something new for this blog as I managed to catch up with Chris Stark (Capital FM and That Peter Crouch Podcast) last week to get his thoughts on all things Watford and the upcoming match.
We talk expectations at Vicarage Road, which Wes scored the best goal and the possibility of a play-off Ed Sheeran v Elton John sing-off.
<i>AW: </i>Watford are in their second season out of the Premier League now. Last season was a bit of a hectic one with Rob Edwards and then Bilic and then Wilder coming in over the space of a year. What were your expectations coming into the beginning of this season under the new manager?
<i>CS: </i>Last season I think was disappointing for a lot of different reasons and it felt to me that as a club, I didn’t really get what we were.
I didn’t really understand what the identity of the club was and that’s really hard as a fan because even if you’re not getting the greatest success on the pitch, as long as you have that feeling of knowing the club is going in the right direction, that can sometimes be enough to negate against some of that.
I did feel last season was a tough one as a Watford fan. Over the past few seasons there have been big changes to the club and that’s a natural progression within football, but you lose big leaders.
We came down from the Premier League not too long ago and there was this expectation that we should go straight back up but without really knowing or rectifying the reasons we went down in the first place.
So going into this season, I think a lot of the talk was maybe a bit more negative leaning than it has been compared to previous seasons, but that’s for understandable reasons.
Then we got a great first-day result against QPR (4-0 win) and results can change your opinion really quickly and going into this season I think it was hard to know exactly what this team was going to be.
But I think what we’re starting to see now is, in my opinion anyway, the foundations or basis of what a new Watford team could be going forward over the next couple of seasons
<i>AW: </i>Do you think with Ismael appointed and that foundation set there was a big change in the club? There was only one win in ten following the QPR win and he kept his job, whereas potentially in previous seasons the board could have pulled the trigger again and got rid of him.
<i>CS: </i>Yeah, I think that was a big statement actually in a weird way. There was a lot of expectation that normally come the international break there is a change in manager and actually in a way when they made the announcement that he was staying, they almost made it look like there was an announcement that potentially the manager was changing.
You’re right, ordinarily with the way Watford is you might expect to see those changes, but he has stayed and I’m really pleased to see that.
I still don’t feel like I know too much about the manager but I do get the impression of understanding what his style is. He’s a big disciplinarian, we’ve had players who have been dropped for turning up late to training and he’s focusing on these sorts of things to help with that team cohesion and is perhaps able to respond to some of the more interesting characters in the team.
But I don’t think you see too much of that publicly, it's more kind of what you hear second-hand from people who are involved in the club.
I think you’re right, I think him staying despite that record that might have seen other managers go was at least refreshing to see as a Watford fan.
For me I would have loved Rob Edwards to have had more of a chance there and it can be quite difficult seeing him do so well at Luton.
It’s kind of both great and difficult in equal measures to see him doing so well because he is and he was a top bloke and a great manager.
I think our current Watford manager is doing the right things at the moment in that we had a great opening game and then a very slow start to this season, but it feels to me some of that is perhaps the transition between the kind of abysmal season we had last season and what Watford needs to be moving forward and its identity.
By identity, I mean seeing players that visibly care about playing for Watford and a style of football we’re starting to see week in week out.
Actually, this season, even if for me personally work has made it so difficult to get to lots of Watford games and I get to as many as I can, I am seeing such a progression between where we started this season and where we’re up to now and it feels like the train is slowly moving in the right direction and the last few games we’ve actually ground out some decent results.
<i>AW: </i>I wanted to talk about the style a little bit as well because I’ve been looking at some of the data and some of the stats and Watford are top of the league for long balls and switches of play and Hoedt is hitting 9.2 accurate long passes a game
<i>CS: </i>Well Hoedt, it must be Hoedt driving that forward because I’ve rarely seen a player play in the position he does and he seems to spend most of the game just pinging balls left and right and obviously he scored an incredible goal, which I think we’ll talk about in a bit, but this is what he does. He seems to love a pass.
<i>AW: </i>Long ball is often given negative connotations and stuff but is that the style you think is implemented?
<i>CS: </i>No I don’t, I think it’s Hoedt, I really do and obviously it’s practiced and it’s well-rehearsed in the sense that players are getting into space.
But the balls from Hoedt tend to go out the opposite side of the pitch, not necessarily being lumped forward, it’s kind of pinged into space on the opposite side from where he is.
He’s just exceptional at long passing, so I wouldn’t say that we have a target striker in the same way that Troy Deeney was when he was playing for us, who could pretty much wrestle and win anything in the air and bring it down and play it to anyone else.
I wouldn’t say that’s our style. I wouldn’t say it’s as direct as that and maybe that will come. Our number nine, Rajovic, he’s scoring a lot of goals, a lot of very similar goals I’d say, but they’re all counting and this is obviously what he’s there to do.
And this is a guy who’s a big player but I wouldn’t necessarily in my opinion call him a target man and say that Watford’s style is direct to the point of Hoedt pinging a ball... well the word ping and lob are two very different things because he’s not really lobbing it forward like I’ve seen Watford teams do in the Championship over the years.
He’s pinging these balls out with a bit of class to the other side and reaching players and our guy up top is very good at getting in and amongst it from crosses and scoring goals with his head.
<i>AW: </i>So almost targeting those wide players with those long balls, your Apsrillas and your Semas
<i>CS: </i>That’s how I’m seeing it, we’ve got decent wing play. We’ve got a lad Asprilla who’s been starting the last few games but is an incredible impact sub as well, sort of burst of energy, bit of flair about him, can take players on.
When it clicks and it feels our midfield is really starting to do that, it does feel like Watford have decent spells of play. I think what’s frustrating is in the game against Norwich, which is one of my favourite games this season, we were just so slow starting and so lethargic and frankly it was just a real lack of quality.
But when it clicks this season I’m seeing spells of really good football, to the point where I feel if we had another striker or a slightly different style striker than what we have, then we could be a real danger in this league.
<i>AW: </i>Do you think that’s the thing that potentially separates Watford at the moment from the other teams that have just come down from the Premier League? I’ve been looking through the squad to do the preview and there seems to be a lack of depth in certain positions, potentially if a couple of injuries hit.
<i>CS: </i>I think it’s a major difference between say us and Ipswich, if you’re looking at the two teams.
Rajovic was brought in for, in modern football terms, not a lot of money and, to be fair, he backs it up with goals, but sometimes I feel like during the game you have to wait for him to get his chance, then he takes his chance, and obviously it’s a game about goals isn’t it, that’s the important thing.
However, personally you also like to see a striker who has the ball at feet and is able to take players on and I think that is something that we’re slightly lacking at the moment.
I think we have good play on the wings and I think we have got players who can take people on. Ken Sema, for example. He’s excellent at taking on players and getting that ball in and a lot of our goals are being scored by those crosses meeting the head of Rajovic. Just from his sheer presence he’s able to score.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that’s not important. Our other striker, Bayo, is kind of the same. He’s not massively dissimilar in style. It feels to me when there’s a substitution it’s quite like for like in many ways. So I would like to see another striker that offers something different, a different type of striker but every club wants one of them.
<i>AW: </i>That’s something that Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna has talked about as well, having different profiles in the same position, so that you can change a game if you need to or do something a little bit different.
<i>CS: </i>I think so and it also points to depth in that we’re playing with one striker with one more on the bench that is similar but really that’s it.
I would say that there’s a marked improvement between this season and last season and also the manager isn’t afraid to rest players if the attitude isn’t right and that’s making it feel like it’s the first time we’ve been able to bring through Watford-born players and youngsters, and as a fan that’s something you like to see as well.
Ryan Andrews has just signed a new contract and he’s a great Watford success story and it’s brilliant to see these kind of players coming through and you love seeing that as a fan.
And I think more important than seeing Watford in the Premier League, however much I’d love that, I’d like Watford to become a team that feels like it can move in a direction and challenge.
I don’t really see the point of being in the Premier League if it’s just going to be really frustrating and we spend a whole season going, 'Well no one’s wanting to play for Watford' and it doesn’t feel like there’s that effort or energy. I think this season feels positive in a transitional sense.
<i>AW: </i>Yes, almost find an identity, bed a few young players in, get that style, get fans back on board who might have lost interest going up and down.
<i>CS: </i>I think so and I think that feeling is natural, but also I started becoming a fan of Watford when they were very much a Championship team and the Premier League seemed almost slightly unattainable.
And then you get it and it’s amazing, but I’m also aware Watford has had decent success in being promoted and being in the Premier League and down and up and it’s hard if there is an expectation that you should be in the Premier League.
I think that’s an increasingly hard place to get to. I think more than ever, especially since losing Deeney, I think what fans have really missed is knowing what this club is and its identity and I feel like this season at least I'm sort of seeing that.
There’s some players, players like Jake Livermore, for example, who I’m just such a huge fan of and a lot of the time it’s not even what they’re technically doing on the ball, it’s what they’re like when they haven’t got the ball and they’re literally picking players up off the ground or shouting at players to move forward or come back and I think players like that are what we need to be really protective of at Watford.
<i>AW: </i>And Livermore is potentially one that would have been a questionable signing when he came in, at 34 and not really having had much game time at West Brom before, but that experienced head, especially in that deeper midfield role and again finding that style of play that gets the best out of him, seems to have been really successful.
<i>CS: </i>I totally agree, I questioned it, honestly I wasn’t 100% sure. I’m 100% in now because you can have skilful players but you have a big issue if you don’t have those people that are almost like the glue in the middle and can organise a team, who players will respect and move for and listen to.
You have that for the manager but players like Jake Livermore are so important for this Watford team and they turn up and they fight, they turn up and impose themselves on the game, that’s why I’m really interested about the Ipswich game because Watford have had a good run of results.
We lost to Leicester but you can excuse that and obviously Ipswich would expect to win this, but Tuesday night under the lights, I think in the Championship, anything can happen with that.
<i>AW: </i>Definitely, and it’s a bit of a test for Watford as well with Southampton coming up before.
<i>CS: </i>Tricky games, really tricky games but you know what, if we get some points from these we’re moving in the right direction.
You know what? The Norwich game ironically, which I’m sure you’ll like to hear, was one of my favourite games this season just because of the way we managed to come back from 2-0 down and for me that game summed up Watford’s season in 90 minutes - a terrible start, all over the place, but managed to get it together and then really sort of accelerated through and it was class with the goals.
That’s then taken us into the Hull game where we managed to get a result. And we’re scoring goals, we’re not scraping through these games, it feels like we do have goalscoring opportunities so hopefully it should be a good game.
<i>AW: </i>We’ve talked a lot about players playing well, is there anyone who’s not really done it? I listened to one of the Watford podcasts the other day and people were going in on Bachmann a bit and obviously Hamer has come in for the last couple of games. Can you see Hamer keeping his place?
<i>CS: </i>I think we’re really lucky and we have been at Watford for a few seasons with our goalkeeping situation.
When Bachmann was first at Watford we had Ben Foster, before him we had Heurehlo Gomes with Ben Foster and it always felt like we had a really good first and second-choice keeper.
Bachmann has moments, I think most goalkeepers do where it can make them a bit of an easy target. However, he’s our captain and he has pulled off some unbelievable saves this season.
I think it’s just very hard if you’re a goalkeeper that starts to pick up some of the blame. I think it’s a really hard position to move from because any mistake gets magnified. Now that’s not to say he hasn’t made mistakes but I don’t think there’s a keeper in the Championship which hasn’t, and he does have pros and cons to his game, but he has made some phenomenal saves this season.
Personally, I love Bachmann and I love that he’s our captain. I’m not a huge huge fan of a goalkeeper being a captain, because I think it puts too much on them. Just from a practical point of view, being able to speak to the referee, especially in a league where there’s no VAR
<i>AW: </i>And to get messages across the pitch
<i>CS: </i>Yes, I think it’s tricky and that’s not Bachmann specific. That’s just a captain also being a goalkeeper, it isn’t the most practical.
But I think when Bachmann became captain, there didn’t, to me, feel that there was any standout individuals that really could or should be captain. But, like I said ,this feels like a season of transition and some of those individuals have risen up on that.
<i>AW: </i>Like Hoedt and Livermore?
<i>CS: </i>Yes, in terms of the question around captaincy. From a goalkeeping position. Ben [Hamer]’s come in and he’s had a couple of solid games.
Is he making mistakes? Of course he is, but that’s totally natural. He’s also pulling of amazing saves. He had a great penalty save the other day.
I guess the question is similar to other clubs where this conversation happens a lot is how healthy is it to have a very competitive couple of goalkeepers? How do you rotate them for the best result and does it dent your confidence? Is it something where you just want to name one?
I don’t know where Watford will go with that. In my mind it’s brilliant that we have two great keepers and I hope Ben plays more games and I see Bachmann get a fair bit of criticism, but Bachmann’s been putting in good performances.
If I personally was going to pick a player that could have better performances is Louza. Only because I’ve seen how brilliant he can be and this is a player that is experienced enough and skilled enough to do absolute wonders in this league, but it’s hard and maybe it’s just my perception of it but as a fan I think he’s just not totally on the same page as other players, that’s how it comes across.
Whether that is the case or not that’s another point but I think at the moment I want to see players playing for Watford who really want to give it some and fight and I just don’t really get that perception from him at the moment which is a shame because he is incredibly skilled.
<i>AW: </i>Going back on the goalkeeper point, Ipswich have had that as well, Christian Walton was our number one all of last year, picked up an injury at the beginning of the season and Hladky, who last year wasn’t that great, some people, myself included, thought he would leave, has come in and been one of our best players this season.
<i>CS: </i>It’s really tricky with goalkeepers isn’t it ,because when you’ve got an established goalkeeper, almost unlike any other position on the pitch, it’s seen to be really controversial to switch that around or bring someone new in and it looks like a real crowning and equally looks like a real dethroning.
I think the slight complication at Watford is that he’s also our captain so it takes a wider importance as a conversation because who does the captaincy go to. But I do think you’ve got to separate those two things so it’s a tricky one.
<i>AW: </i>Moving on from that, we mentioned the Hoedt goal, it was a weekend for the Weses, the Wes Burns trivella, which is a new word I’ve learnt.
<i>CS: </i>What a goal!
<i>AW: </i>I think that just edges it for me but Hoedt's was pretty impressive, I’ve got a bit of bias there.
<i>CS: </i>I know, I think taking the bias out of it, I’d actually agree with you. I think Hoedt’s goal was great but I don’t think the goalkeeping was really great.
Also what I loved so much about the Hoedt goal is he lobs the goalie and the goalie really should have done better and yet the goalie's first reaction is to absolutely b*llock the defenders, for being lobbed from 40 yards.
<i>AW: </i>Which is usually a sign the keeper knows he’s messed up
<i>CS: </i>Exactly, I agree it was a great weekend for the Weses. I personally think your lad edges it. I think outside of the boot, it just looks beautiful doesn’t it?
<i>AW: </i>We’ve covered Watford but what have you seen of Ipswich so far and I guess the title race in general?
<i>CS: </i>It’s like two teams with two different ambitions and I love the Championship for this.
I think Watford are going in the right direction and with a real positive slant on all of this, if we could get to play-offs, that would be incredible.
You guys are title contenders and I think at this stage of the season, if you did drop into play-offs, you’d almost start to feel a bit shaky for even being in that position because you know you can take this on to the end.
I think the big test, and maybe the Watford game epitomises this time, I think around Christmas is such a huge time for Ipswich because I think this will really show if you are genuine title contenders.
It's a flurry of games and there’s a lot of points at stake, and it’s an intense schedule and I think if you look at the league at the moment with the distance between the top two and third, that can all totally change.
I think Christmas and being in the position you’re in this season, I think this will really set the tone for whether you are going to be title contenders. I suspect you are because it doesn’t feel like anything is falling off at the moment. Would you agree with that?
<i>AW: </i>December is definitely going to be an incredibly tricky period, we’ve got Watford, Middlesbrough who have hit a bit of form.
<i>CS: </i>You’ve got a Norwich game as well haven’t you?
<i>AW: </i>Then the East Anglian derby, Leeds and Leicester in that period as well, QPR, who have hit a bit of form under Martí Cifuentes, so I think if we can get even like 9 or 10 points out of those then that should keep us there or there abouts.
<i>CS: </i>I think this December time is really tricky because I say it now in this conversation. What’s really interesting about this Watford v Ipswich game is that everything we’re saying now about respective club ambitions could be totally different, totally different by the time we’re in the new year. And I think this is obviously a really exciting opportunity for you guys and for us I think we’re just having to try and make good.
It feels to me things are going alright and things are quite positive but from a Watford point of view, it’s like we’re turning things around.
It feels like you’re on a slightly different trajectory, you know, you’ve done that and now you’re thriving, you’re able to move forward in a different way. We’re at a different stage but it will be interesting to see how both of those respective motivations work against each other.
<i>AW: </i>And it’s taken a lot of time and a lot of stagnation in the Championship and even relegation to finally kick it into gear and the new owners have really changed things around
<i>CS: </i>What I want to know from you is how much does Ed Sheeran have a bearing on this? Is he in any way responsible?
<i>AW: </i>Not massively, so I’d say the majority of it is the US pension fund [PSPRS], they’re the main drivers behind it and Mark Ashton, the CEO, has done a great job getting the community onside.
I think Ed’s part of that and obviously he helps build the publicity and the global brand with the sponsorship. I know there was another podcast, I think it was with some of the Wrexham players, that got absolutely slated by Ipswich fans because they were like, 'They should be doing well because Ed Sheeran owns the club blah blah blah', but he’s not actually that big of a part of it.
<i>CS: </i>No, but his songs when you go up, you just know there’s going to be a changing room moment and Ed Sheeran’s going to be in there. What’s the song that you guys do, is it Perfect?
<i>AW: </i>That already happened at the Hull game, probably one of our best performances of the season. We beat them and Ed was there and he’s using the relationship to sell some of his merch and his commercial stuff has meant that our shirt sales are crazy as well. It benefits both.
<i>CS: </i>So Ed Sheeran v Elton John?
<i>AW: </i>If Ipswich and Watford end up in the play-offs, you can pull some strings right! You can get Elton and Ed there to have a sing-off?
<i>CS: </i>Yeah, well, you know I do the podcast with Peter Crouch, our podcast is with Elton John today.
<i>AW: </i>I started listening to it this morning before this.
<i>CS: </i>He’s so passionate about the club and it’s great to see. Do you know what? Meeting Elton John was just a reminder of what the club's history is and what that identity can be and you can get blasé with some of these people that want to help take the club forward. It’s Graham Taylor and Elton John, it gets said a lot, but you sometimes forget the meaning.
But interviewing Elton John at Vicarage Road and hearing him talk so passionately about Watford and how he sometimes just wants to go and do a team-talk and help everyone remember what it’s about, you wanna see.
I don’t know, sometimes over the last couple of seasons we had a very mad situation where Elton John performed at Vicarage Road. Rob Edwards was manager and Elton John did this really impassioned speech about getting behind the team, getting behind the manager and it really felt like we’d just revived this whole spirit.
Something slipped away and maybe that was the manager changes and, I don’t know, a bit of a disconnect having gone down and being unsure about exactly what we were going to face that season.
I don’t know what the result will be against Ipswich, but if we can get any kind of result against you guys it will feel like a very different Watford to the one that started this season, and right now I’m really intrigued to see how we do in these tests because I really do feel that this season there’s been more progression than the last couple and you’re coming to Watford at a time where it feels like the tide has turned for the good.
<i>AW: </i>So score prediction-wise. I think Watford will be a tricky one, I’d take a draw, to be honest. As you say, Tuesday night away games can be tricky. We’ve not been as free-scoring away, so I think I’m going for a 1-1 when I write this up.
<i>CS: </i>I went 2-2. What are we, over a week away and I’ve not looked at the weather, but it could be cold.
I just really hope we’re in for the fight. I think we concede sometimes and it’s frustrating that we can concede so easily and then it feels like it can be a bit uphill.
But if we get a draw against you guys that’ll be great. If we can get a win, phenomenal. But I think the expectation is an Ipswich win at this stage or most people would say.
I would also just caveat that. I don't think Watford’s league position at the moment really reflects what’s been happening for the last few games and I just hope we can continue in that direction.
<h1>The Teams </h1>
On the Ipswich front I think we’ll see some rotation. Harry Clarke has been excellent recently, but I think Brandon Williams will come back in for this one. Williams is more solid defensively and will need to cope with the pace of Sema in behind.
Axel Tuanzebe is also likely to be given more game time as well as McKenna continues to build up his minutes and he’s likely to come back in for Luke Woolfenden.
There is a potential for McKenna to rest Sam Morsy to ensure he doesn’t pick up his tenth yellow before the Norwich game, but I don’t think that is likely given McKenna’s relentless focus on preparing for the next game alone, so it’s likely to be a Morsy and Massimo Luongo midfield.
With all of the front players taken off with Town leading against Middlesbrough, I think all four will continue to start with maybe Omari Hutchinson for Nathan Broadhead the most likely change there if there is to be one.
For Watford, the back five looks likely to be unchanged with Hamer now being trusted to keep the shirt from Bachmann and the others all an important part of how Watford play.
Francisco Sierralta came into the midfield at the weekend with Livermore missing with a minor knee strain, but he could be back for this one. If he is, you’d think Kayembe and Kone will remain in there alongside him.
Asprilla and Sema started against the Saints, but I can see Tom Ince coming in on the right for this one to add a bit of experience and know how in that position.
Whether Healy’s goal has done enough to put himself into contention is an unknown but as long as he’s fit Raijovic should at least start the game.
<h1>Action Areas </h1>
A big feature of Watford’s play is clearly the Hoedt switch ball. To counteract that I can see Conor Chaplin playing a lot closer to George Hirst in this one and pressing the centre-backs when they have the ball.
Sema has been an effective out ball in recent games for Watford and will look to play in the space between Clarke and Burns, so communication between those two, while Morsy dropping in to cover that threat will also be important as could be picking up runners from that Watford midfield three.
Given that midfield battle, it could be another one where Marcus Harness is chosen to start instead of Broadhead to give a bit more energy on that side and drop a bit deeper than the Welshman to pack the midfield.
The left-hand side is also potentially Ipswich’s best outlet with assist king Davis likely to be up against the inexperienced Andrews.
As mentioned in the interview with Chris, I am worried about this one and I think against a team that’s hit a bit of form, away from home with a hectic schedule, a point would be a good result. I can see both teams scoring, so I'm going for a 1-1.