The Opposition View with The Hornets Nest, Watford

It’s been quite the season for Watford. The Hornets are onto their third manager of the season already and looked doomed to fall out of the Premier League nest as recently as two months ago, only to completely turn their form around since Nigel Pearson and Craig Shakespeare arrived in Watford.

Now, they’re one of the form teams in the Premier League. They’ll come to the Amex with every hope of walking away with something and gaining a measure of revenge for that bruising 3-0 defeat that Brighton inflicted upon them at Vicarage Road on the opening day of the season.

Back then, the sky seemed the limit for new Albion boss Graham Potter and his players. It is yet to work out quite as well as we hoped, with this latest meeting a fourth six pointer in as many games against a relegation rival. In the previous three, we’ve picked up just two points.

We spoke to Andy Lewers from Watford blog The Hornets Nest ahead of another crucial game in the battle at the bottom of the Premier League.

Watford obviously endured a nightmare start to the season. What went wrong, firstly under Javi Gracia and then during Quique Sanchez Flores brief return to the club?
I think our issues this season can be traced back to last season. Watford finished the last campaign dreadfully, falling away from the European spots and finishing in the bottom half of the league and of course that humiliating defeat in the FA Cup Final.

The owners failed to make any serious investments in the squad over the summer and as a result confidence probably wasn’t high ahead of the new campaign. We only managed one point from our first four games and so the owners decided a change of Head Coach was needed. I personally feel sacking Javi Gracia was harsh, as he wasn’t backed sufficiently in the summer whilst the teams around us were all investing.

With regards to Quique, the football was just too negative. It was play to not lose, rather than to win, not ideal when you’re in a relegation scrap.

Since Nigel Pearson came in, the ship seems to have been steadied somewhat. How happy are you with him as manager so far?
I’m delighted with how he and Craig Shakespeare have turned things around! We were cut well adrift before he came in, so the fact we’re now just a win away from escaping the drop zone is credit to how well they’ve done to turn it around. The players seem to respect him and he’s very honest in his press conferences, which I think the fans appreciate.

What did you make of Watford’s January transfer business? Do you think you’ve done enough?
In all honesty I was disappointed. It’s important to remember though that January transfers are never going to set the world alight, especially for a club in Watford’s position. How do you attract a top player to a club that could be playing in the Championship in six months’ time?

I was very surprised though that having let Seb Prodl go we didn’t bring in another defender on loan until the end of the season, just to provide cover in case of any injuries or suspensions.

Joao Pedro has come over from Brazilian side Fluminense but hasn’t been given a chance in the league just yet and Pussetto has come in from Udinese.

Apart from a goal line clearance on his debut, I’m yet to be convinced by his performances, but it’s sometimes difficult for players to adapt to the Premier League after being thrown in the deep end.

What are Watford’s current strengths and weaknesses? We’ve struggled against powerful strikers so far this season, so someone like Troy Deeney could have a field day…
I would say Watford have two main strengths; the first is the man in between the sticks; Ben Foster. On his day Foster is one of the best goalkeepers in the league and if he hadn’t retired from international duty, I am certain Gareth Southgate would be considering him for the Euros.

The next is Watford’s midfield. The trio of Abdoulaye Doucoure, Étienne Capoue and Nathaniel Chalobah allows Watford to press his up the pitch whilst being able to track back and cut balls through to the forwards.

Last time we met was memorable for the Albion obviously, although looking back the result perhaps wasn’t as impressive as it first appeared! What were your thoughts on the game that day?
A great day for you guys, a bad one for me! I was a bit shell-shocked I must admit, but I figured it was just one of those crazy opening day games, where you don’t really know what went wrong and definitely didn’t see that form continuing like it did! I’m still baffled why Watford weren’t awarded a penalty with the scores at 1-0, but that’s VAR for you…

The relegation battle looks like it’s going to be tighter than ever this season. Who do you think are the three teams that are going down?
I’m surprised the relegation battle hasn’t taken more of the headlines this season, as Liverpool have had the league wrapped up for months now.

It should be an interesting run-in but I think my three to go down are: Norwich, Aston Villa and West Ham. I think Bournemouth and Watford have enough to pull themselves out and Brighton to survive by the skin of their teeth…

Finally, your prediction for Saturday please?
A crucial game, each week it seems to be the biggest game of our season. We simply have to win, nothing else will do… 2-0 to Watford.

Thanks to Andy from the Hornets Nest for answering our questions – although we hope his score predicition is as inaccurate as the 3-1 to Watford that he went for back in August! You can follow The Hornets Nest on Twitter.