The Future is Bright for Watford Football Club
The Hornets are flying. Don’t look now, but Watford’s performances are rather awesome and the team is exciting to watch. They are seventh in the league, above the likes of Liverpool, Everton and Chelsea, whilst they’re only one point behind Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur. Leicester City’s meteoric rise is garnering all the attention, but Watford are 12 points short of the magical 40-point mark only 17 games into the season.
On Sunday afternoon in front of their home fans, the newly promoted Hornets played supposed contenders, Liverpool, off the park at Vicarage Road, trouncing the Merseysiders 3-0. The win was resounding, with two early goals setting the tone for a huge win. Loan starlet, Nathan Aké, continued a fine season scoring his first goal for the club after an Ádám Bogdán error.
Odion Ighalo has proved to be a revelation since joining from Udinese in 2014, and he lashed home the second goal and his 12th of the campaign so far. He’s now fourth in the golden boot race with no clear signs of regression or slowing down. The Nigerian is flanked by the superb club Captain, Troy Deeney, whose five goals and four assists have perfectly complimented his strike partner’s talents.
Heurelho Gomes has been superb between the sticks, and his crucial saves away to Sunderland helped secure another big three points. Since their unfortunate defeat at home against Manchester United (whom they were unfortunate not to get a result against), they’ve now won four games in a row with no signs of slowing after their latest stunning win.
Apart from two losses to Manchester City and Arsenal (2-0 and 3-0, respectively) they’ve not had a game this season they’ve not had a chance of winning. They’re a tough, physical outfit who have proved tough to beat at home or away. People are starting to notice, and it’s about time.
In the middle of the park, Étienne Capoue has restored his reputation as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League after a rough stint with Spurs. He has flourished as a big fish in a smaller pond, tallying three tackles and 2.8 interceptions per game, alongside 49.1 passes per match. Right now, he is the engine keeping the Hornets ticking.
Allan Nyom, Miguel Britos and Craig Cathcart join Nathan Aké in a solid back four, the backbone of an increasingly strong side under the superb leadership of Quique Sánchez Flores, who has adjusted well to management in English football. There were questions when he was appointed in the summer, but much like Southampton’s upgrade from Nigel Adkins to Mauricio Pochettino in 2013, he has lifted Watford higher than they thought possible.
However, they head into the New Year seeking reinforcements, knowing they cannot always rely on Ighalo and Deeney to provide all the goals. Besides their front men, three players have scored this season (Aké, Almen Abdi and Miguel Layún), and none of them have done so more than once. They’re edging closer to a shock move for Roma’s Juan Iturbe, who would be a landmark signing, if Bournemouth don’t beat them to his signature first that is.
Challenges are still to come for them, though, with a trip to Stamford Bridge this weekend. Then they host Tottenham, Manchester City and Newcastle (an FA Cup clash) before battles with Southampton, Swansea and Newcastle take them to the end of January. By then, everyone will know how good Watford truly are. But, for right now, they get to enjoy a position nobody expected or really noticed. With superb owners behind them, it seems like it is only up from here for the Hornets.
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