Watford (A) Preview
Brady Frost, Feature Writer
Twitter: @brady0894
Source for image above: HTAFC
Injury-hit Huddersfield travel to Vicarage Road still search for their first win of 2021, can they spring a surprise? Jordi from Watford podcast, From The Rookery End, breaks down Watford in our latest match preview.
No Naby Sarr, no Carel Eiting, no Issac Mbenza, no Danny Grant, no Alex Pritchard, no Adama Diakhaby. The injuries just keep on coming for Huddersfield Town and Saturday’s trip to Watford looks even more daunting now. Having that said, few would have expected the 2-0 win in the reverse of this fixture last month but a lot has changed since that match on 19th December.
Vladimir Ivić was dismissed by The Hornets after Town’s victory and they’ve brought in Xisco Muñoz, a relative unknown to English football fans. The 40-year-old Spaniard was most recently manager at Dinamo Tbilisi, where he guided the side to a second successive Georgian league title in 2020.
He’s only been in charge of Watford for three matches, which include a 1-0 league win over Norwich City and defeats to Swansea City and a cup defeat to Manchester United. Ahead of this match, Watford currently sit 6th in the Sky Bet Championship table with 37 points from 22 games yet surprisingly, they are the most in-form team on their own turf in the league. In 11 outings, they have won eight, drawn two and lost one.
This might make grim reading, but who knows in this league? To give us an update, Jordi Connor from Watford podcast, From The Rookery End, looks at what we can expect from Watford.
New manager Xisco Muñoz has only been in charge of Watford for three matches, which include a 1-0 league win over Norwich City and defeats to Swansea City and a cup defeat to Manchester United. Photo source: Watford FC
What did you make of Huddersfield in the previous match between these two teams?
I thought you looked like a solid Championship team, which is fair enough given you are bang in the middle of the table after 23 games. We didn't really ask too many questions even though we had chances and so you just had to be competent and let us self sabotage, which we did gleefully.
Since we last played each other, Watford have a new manager, Xisco Munoz. It’s still early days into his tenure, but what are your first impressions?
Yes, it hasn't been a month since the game at your place but plenty of time for us to change Head Coach! It is early days and he can only work with what is available. His demeanour is very different to Ivic which will hopefully rub off onto the players. If they play in his image it will be a fun second half of the season (if he lasts!). The first impression, beating Norwich was great but since then we've had tough games away to Swansea and Man Utd which we've lost by a single goal.
We’re halfway through the season now, how would you rate your first half of the campaign?
Well, if you sack your manager it suggests that things aren't going to plan. We hoped to be in the mix for promotion, which we are, but our away form has been dismal and we haven't been playing like a team that feels it is superior to their opponents and is going to take the initiative, which as a freshly relegated club we arguably should be doing more. I'd give us a C- and we have to buck our ideas up fast.
Philip Zinckernagel has joined the club from FK Bodø/Glimt, where he scored 19 goals and supplied 18 assists in one season. Photo source: Watford FC
Do you think that getting promoted is still a possibility for Watford?
Yeah, of course. That is the 'beauty of the Championship'. There will be a handful of teams focused on not getting relegated but above them, anyone can sneak into the playoffs if they get a bit of luck. We have to aim to get automatic promotion but that will need a level of consistency that we simply haven't shown yet. It isn't beyond us though and if we invest well in the window it could make all the difference.
You’ve brought in Philip Zinckernagel from FK Bodø/Glimt and Etienne Capoue has left. Are you expecting any more business in the January transfer window?
Maybe a bit. The question is whether we'll bring in the players we need or bring in some fillers who are available. We've been very guilty of doing the latter in recent years which is why we went from being in a position to establish ourselves in the Premier League to being in a battle to getting back in. You know from recent experience how consistently bad you have to be to get relegated and somehow last season we managed to do it. It still baffles me how we didn't take one of the ample chances we had to get enough points to stay up.
There are some positions that need filling but there are already bodies in the building who don't deliver what we need. Unfortunately, the fact that they are still here after our clear out in the summer shows how hard they will be to shift. So without them going, I'm not expecting much. Capoue was a class act though. It was a real privilege watching him over the past few years.
Are you expecting something different from the game against Huddersfield this time?
Well if we gift you a couple of goals again it will be unforgivable. At home, we've got better results than on the road so we should be a tougher challenge for you. Hopefully, some of the players will have pride to play for after the game at your place.
Tom Cleverley captained Watford in the previous encounter between these two teams. Photo source: Watford FC
What has Xisco Munoz changed in regards to Watford’s style of play?
It's hard to say from three games, particularly as you rely on watching on TV rather than in person. Given the opponents were the team top of the Premier League and the teams top and in second place in the Championship he's had a tough start.
We've had good spells in all three games, particularly against Norwich. Against Swansea, it felt like we didn't really have any answers in the second half and against Man Utd we did well but could probably still be playing and not have scored. That's one of the issues that we really should address in the window, but one I don't think any Watford fans are expecting us to do anything about for the reasons given earlier.
What do you make to Troy Deeney’s role on Talksport? His comments about former manager Vladimir Ivic seemed to cause controversy.
I don't listen to the show. He doesn't come to me for career advice either. ;)
Have your expectations for Huddersfield Town changed for this season based on the previous game?
Given we are at home and under a new regime, I'm 'expecting' a much-improved performance and a win. You'll make us work hard for it though and if we aren't at our best, you could well head home with at least a point.
What’s your score prediction for the game?
On paper, we should be able to pick up three points but it will be tight - 2-1 or 3-1. If we start well, it should give us confidence. You are more than capable of doing the double over us though and there isn't a scoreline that would surprise me.
How do you think Huddersfield will get on against Watford? Let us know in the comments!
