Watford’s Home Form is Improving, But There’s Work to Be Done

Watford have won seven and drew four of their eleven home league games under Tom Cleverley at Vicarage Road.
The Hornets won only twice in the previous 11 games and lost six.
In WD18, Watford’s performances and results have improved dramatically, with only six goals conceded at home under Cleverley.


So yet, they haven’t romped to league victories with their former captain in charge.

Indeed, only one of the seven home league victories was by more than one goal.

“There are two ways of managing a winning position: you can go and kill a game off by scoring another goal, or you can try defending what you’ve got,” he told reporters.

“Now, I’m not going to tell you which one we’re going to go with, but we do have a plan for how we can transform those one-goal advantages into more comfortable wins.

“That doesn’t always imply trying for an extra goal; it simply means being more solid in your framework and handling the game better.

“I’d still take a one-goal win any day of the week though.”

Only three teams have outscored the Hornets this season in the Championship, but only five have conceded more.

Is this suggesting that the balance is still off?

“I felt like we nailed the balance on Friday at Plymouth,” Cleverley emphasised.

“If you look at it as a process, if a game is played ten times, we win eight or nine times.

“So I’m not concerned about the team’s balance from Friday, nor am I against Oxford.

“Can we improve our management of the final 10 or 15 minutes of games? Yes, we can, and while the team’s numbers and analytics may indicate that we’re scoring and surrendering, I believe the balance has improved significantly in the past two games.

“We were very, very unlucky to concede two on Friday night.”

Unlike last season, when visiting clubs arrived at Vicarage Road, looked at Watford’s home record, and were certain they could depart with a point or more, this season’s improved results suggest opponents will be more cautious.

“I think we have to get used to teams paying us respect,” Cleverley said.

“Plymouth has had excellent results with a back four, but we switched to a back five on Friday due to our attacking strength.

“Teams have man-marked Giorgi in recent weeks, and we must always aim to stay one step ahead and accept it as a compliment that teams are showing us respect by deviating from their own successful game plans to attempt to stop us.

“What we need to do is find answers to that, and make sure our best players can flourish.”

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