FourFourTwo UK – September 2019

FFTVERDICT

FourFourTwo Season Preview 2019-20 39

ETIENNECAPOUE

TheFrenchmanis thedomineeringpresenceat

theheartoftheteam.Inthepasthe’sappeared

languidanddisinterested,butthefacthemade

morePremierLeagueinterceptionsthananyone

elselasttermshowshowmuchhe’ssteppedup.

KEY PLAYER

11

TH

VIEW FROM THE STAn DS

MIKE PARKIN @ROOKERYMIKE

The big talking point among the

fans is the Hornets welcoming

submissions for a new club badge

• an emotive and divisive subject.
  This season will be different
  because we’re starting the season
  with the same head coach – and
  hopes of a European-place finish.
  I won’t be happy unless we can
  cure our end-of-season blues.
  Our most underrated player is
  midfielder Etienne Capoue, outside
  Hertfordshire. Also Craig Cathcart.
  Look out for Joao Pedro, 17, who
  is arriving from Brazil in January.

The best away ground is St James’

Park – town-centre location, great

atmosphere and a good welcome.

The best away fans are Man

United’s – the most imaginative

when it comes to their songs.

The opposition player I secretly

admire is Wilfried Zaha. It’d be

first class if he focused on playing.

Our club’s best celebrity fan is

Elton John. He’s one of the main

reasons we are the club we are.

The one change I’d make to the

club would be to bring Z-Cars

back as our walk-on music.

Save the date for the opening

fixture at home to Brighton –

a good start is so important.

Our key player will be Gerard

Deulofeu – has the flair and ability

to completely change a match.

The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is

as high as ever. Gracia quickly won

respect with his affable manner,

tactical nous and decent football.

We’ll finish 9th, hopefully. I have

a niggling feeling this is going to

be a challenging campaign for the

Hornets, but they can improve on

a great three quarters of a season.

FIVE-POIn T PLAn

1

START WELL, AGAIN

The Hornets have come out of the
blocks quickly in each of their four
seasons since returning to the top
flight, and it’s a good job because in
each of those seasons Watford have
fallen away in the second half of the
campaign. Brighton, Everton, West
Ham and Newcastle are the first four
opponents this term, and Javi Gracia
will want to post a decent tally before
far tougher challenges in September.

2

DON’T FINISH REALLY

BADLY, AGAIN

One win (against Huddersfield) in
the last six games saw Watford
slump from a potential European place
to a bottom-half finish in 11th. That’s
the fourth season in a row where the
side’s form has dropped off a cliff in the
spring – it’s become a worrying habit.

3

BE MORE CLINICAL

Watford missed 54 ‘big chances’
last season, and had they been
a touch more ruthless could well
have finished in 7th place. Troy Deeney
and Andre Gray will never let you down,
but they’ve failed to hit double figures
in the league in each of the last two
seasons, and top scorer Gerard Deulofeu
has a tendency to blow hot and cold.

4

BOLSTER AT BOTH ENDS

OF THE PITCH

Watford have a midfield that can
compete with anyone outside the
top six, but could do with freshening up
the attack and central defence. Buying
West Brom centre-back Craig Dawson
seems like a step in the right direction,
and remember the name Joao Pedro:
the latest Pozzo investment from South
America will arrive at Vicarage Road
in January, and is already rumoured
to be the envy of Europe’s elite outfits.

5

BRING BACK Z-CARS

In April, the Hornets ditched their
famous walk-on tune in favour
of Elton John’s I’m Still Standing.
Now, Elton is beloved at Watford but
the players failed to register a single
home victory from that point onwards.
Obviously it doesn’t really affect things
on the pitch, but it’s been worn into the
fabric of the matchday experience for
Watford fans since 1964, and many of
them hope the club bring it back soon.

SEASOn PREVIEW

TheOddFellows

is just around

the corner from

Vicarage Road, but

gets busy early.

Plenty of other

watering holes on

the high street.

@watfordpodcast

is the home of the

award-winning From

The Rookery End

podcast, which is

now entering its

10th year (they do

written words, too).

TheHornetslost

2-0 in the first ever

third-fourth place

FA Cup play-off, to

Manchester United

at Highbury in 1970.

Nothingparticularlynative, but

the five-starGrovehotel is

nearby, which has played host

to plenty of celebrity A-listers.

Havea beerbeforeyougetinto

theground – the away end is dry.

Also, plan your parking carefully:

permit-only is rigorously enforced.

MATCHDAY PACK

AWAY PUB

SIGn ATURE DISH WHILE YOU’RE HERE...

DID YOU MUST FOLLOW

K nOW...?

AUGUST

10 Brighton (h)

17 Everton (a)

24 West Ham (h)

31 Newcastle (a)

SEPTEMBER

15 Arsenal (h)

21 Man City (a)

28 Wolves (a)

OCTOBER

5 Sheffield United (h)

19 Tottenham (a)

26 Bournemouth (h)

NOVEMBER

2 Chelsea (h)

9 Norwich (a)

23 Burnley (h)

30 Southampton (a)

DECEMBER

3 Leicester (a)

7 Crystal Palace (h)

14 Liverpool (a)

21 Man United (h)

26 Sheffield United (a)

28 Aston Villa (h)

JANUARY

1 Wolves (h)

11 Bournemouth (a)

18 Tottenham (h)

21 Aston Villa (a)

FEBRUARY

1 Everton (h)

8 Brighton (a)

22 Man United (a)

29 Liverpool (h)

MARCH

7 Crystal Palace (a)

14 Leicester (h)

21 Burnley (a)

APRIL

4 Southampton (h)

11 Chelsea (a)

18 Norwich (h)

25 Newcastle (h)

MAY

2 West Ham (a)

9 Man City (h)

17 Arsenal (a)

FIXTURES

Much rests on how the

Hornets start the season.

Top half is a possibility.