Eye on England: Pointless Watford didn't heed last season's warnings

Every Monday, theScore’s Daniel Rouse will break down the weekend that was in English football. Welcome to the “Eye on England.”

Last season, the Watford boardroom was praised for belatedly exercising patience. For the first time in four summers, the Pozzo family resisted the urge to change the manager by sticking with Javi Gracia. There was even continuity in squad selection.

The Spaniard began the 2018-19 campaign with eight of the same XI that started the final match of the previous season – the highest that number had been for eight years – and Gracia remained loyal to that lineup over four consecutive wins.

It didn’t last, and Watford are stumbling backward after not reading the warning signs that followed that fast start. The Hornets’ path to the FA Cup final last season was a smokescreen as they failed to win in eight of their final 11 league outings. That woeful form has toppled into the latest term, as they’ve collected just 32 points from their last 31 games and haven’t earned a clean sheet in 18 matches.

Watford prop up the table after three consecutive losses and are approaching a run of league fixtures that could cut them further adrift at the bottom.

Their defense was one of last season’s most glaring problems. Ben Foster was magnificent between the sticks, producing the third-most saves (124) across the campaign, but that statistic also hinted at the weaknesses in front of the English goalkeeper.

Adrian Mariappa was unsuccessful with a third of his tackles and lost nearly half of his aerial battles. The team conceded the third-most set-piece goals in the division, partly a consequence of conceding the second-most fouls per game.

So, Watford responded to their defensive vulnerabilities by signing Craig Dawson, who was part of a backline that hemorrhaged 62 goals for promotion-chasing West Bromwich Albion last season. Millwall, who barely avoided relegation from the Championship in 21st place, only allowed two more goals than the Baggies.

Then, there were issues with fashioning and converting chances. Troy Deeney topped his teammates for key passes, but his 42 were only good enough for 37th out of all Premier League players. Overall, the Hornets attempted an average of 11.5 shots per match – fifth worst in the division.

Part of Watford’s response to those shortcomings was the summer swoop for Danny Welbeck. The former Manchester United and Arsenal marksman has been unlucky with injuries, but he’s 28 and unlikely to improve, has started 28 matches over the past four seasons, and has never exceeded nine goals in a single Premier League season. He probably isn’t the player to resolve Watford’s attacking deficiencies.

Granted, £30-million winger Ismaila Sarr is yet to start, but it will take a Richarlison-esque impact to immediately transform the Hornets’ early-season woes.

There were issues at both ends of the pitch in Saturday’s latest setback against West Ham United. A series of chances (most of which were curated by the streaky Gerard Deulofeu) were only rewarded with a single Andre Gray finish, and the defense appeared overawed by an Irons’ attack that notched three goals.

Another concerning aspect was Abdoulaye Doucoure’s clumsy tackle on Manuel Lanzini. He’s usually one of the more reliable performers in Gracia’s ranks but was guilty of giving away the penalty that handed West Ham a lead after only three minutes.

It appears no one is immune to the pandemic issues at Vicarage Road. If Gracia doesn’t offer a solution soon, Watford may be the first to wield the axe this season.

Further thoughts

Pochettino’s selections need questioning

The finger of blame for Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 loss at home to Newcastle United should be pointed at Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine handler is usually a genius with his game plans and management from the dugout, but he fell short in Sunday’s surprise defeat. Picking midfield grafter Moussa Sissoko over a creative player against resolute, lowly opposition was peculiar; Jan Vertonghen needs to replace Davinson Sanchez as soon as possible; and Danny Rose hasn’t been a top-level left-back for some time.

Eagles feed on scraps – and they’ll do it again

Manchester United attacked throughout Saturday’s match, and that’s exactly what Crystal Palace want away from home. The rare opportunities to break were preyed upon by a convocation of Eagles and began with Jordan Ayew netting his opening goal of the campaign. The dramatic match-winner was typical of Palace as a combination of Wilfried Zaha and Patrick van Aanholt sprinted and barged their way through United’s rearguard before the latter squeezed a shot through David De Gea after 93 minutes. Roy Hodgson’s side didn’t deserve the 2-1 result but will try to beat the other big-six sides in an identical smash-and-grab fashion this term.

Everton’s puzzling expenditure

Everton are in no better shape despite another summer window of lavish spending. Each player who started Friday’s 2-0 reverse at Aston Villa was at the club last season, and two of the replacements – Alex Iwobi and Theo Walcott – are examples of the overpriced gaggle they’ve corralled since Farhad Moshiri effectively took control of the club in February 2016. A lot – probably too much – of Everton’s potential for future success relies on the promising Moise Kean blossoming on Merseyside. The Toffees are in grave danger of rueing a wasted opportunity when most of the capital is set aside to cover the stadium construction in Liverpool’s docklands area, rather than fund more transfers.

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