MY ACCOUNT
There is yet another head coach in the Vicarage Road dugout, with Roy Hodgson the latest man to be tasked with securing Watford’s Premier League status.
Hodgson is the Hornets’ third manager this season alone — replacing Claudio Ranieri, who had taken over from promotion-winning boss Xisco Munoz.
The Hertfordshire outfit sit 19th in the table and will hope their trigger-happy strategy has led them to the right candidate to stave off relegation.
Ahead of the veteran boss’ first game in charge — a crucial clash with bottom side Burnley — we take a look at how he can help his new club beat the drop.
Decide on a No1 goalkeeper
In Daniel Bachmann and Ben Foster, Watford have two viable candidates for a starting spot between the sticks.
Bachmann, 27, has started 11 of the team’s 20 Premier League matches this term, while Foster, 38, has played the rest.
The Austrian has conceded 26 goals from an expected goals on target conceded (xGTC) value of 21.23, while his vastly experienced team-mate has shipped 14 from an xGTC score of 11.13 — an underperformance from both goalkeepers.
Hodgson will benefit from giving one stopper a consistent run in the remaining 18 league games, rather than chopping and changing.
Sort out the defence
Watford have an alarming record of no clean sheets in their last 30 Premier League fixtures — and it is clear that Hodgson will need to address this area if the Hornets are to survive.
But former England international Paul Merson believes the ex-Fulham and West Brom boss is the right man to tighten Watford up at the back.
He said: “I think it’s a good appointment, I really do. I think they need to steady the ship, they’ve got to stop leaking goals left, right and centre.
“What Roy brings is experience. He doesn’t mind playing 11 players at the back and the crowd booing like mad, as long as he gets a point. That’s what they need at the moment.”
Find his best midfield trio
Aside from Moussa Sissoko — who has played almost every minute of every game since arriving from Tottenham in August — there has been little consistency in terms of midfield selection at Watford this term.
The combative Juraj Kucka has featured reasonably regularly, but Tom Cleverley, Imran Louza and the now-recalled Fenerbahce loanee Ozan Tufan have all played bit-part roles.
Meanwhile, Dan Gosling has essentially been frozen out since a 21-minute cameo against Aston Villa on the opening day of the season.
New signing Edo Kayembe from Eupen appears to be the missing piece of the puzzle — the anchorman has played the full 90 minutes in both Premier League games since his arrival and can sit behind Sissoko and Kucka to form a solid midfield trio.
Get Joshua King scoring
Joshua King enjoyed a strong start to the season, scoring five goals and registering two assists in his first 11 league appearances.
The forward has managed just one assist and no goals in his subsequent seven top-flight outings and getting him firing is integral to Watford’s chances of moving up the table.
In that seven-game spell, the Hornets scored five times, with three strikes coming from Emmanuel Dennis — but he cannot be expected to bear the goalscoring burden alone.
Rediscover Emmanuel Dennis’ best form
Despite Dennis’ more than respectable tally of eight goals and five assists in 19 Premier League outings this term, the forward has failed to score in his last three games.
Having set himself high standards by notching five times in six appearances, the 24-year-old was hooked at half-time in the 1-0 defeat to Tottenham. He was also sent off in the damaging 3-0 loss against relegation rivals Norwich.
Getting the team’s top scorer and talisman back to his impressive best will no doubt be crucial to Watford’s survival hopes — and Hodgson’s success as their manager.
