2 weeks Ago
Head coach Tom Cleverley has always talked about wanting to create a winning mentality – something he learned as a player with Manchester United – and so it’s little surprise it wasn’t a case of going over the top despite the scoreline. “A big part of my team talk on Saturday was around the normality of winning at this club, so as a result of that I wasn’t expecting a party mood on the way home,” he said. “The players were calm and we want it to be expected that we go and put in performances like that.
“There was no real celebration after the game. We know what we want to achieve this season and until we do it’s down to us to work, be intense and demanding.” It was the first time Watford have won back-to-back games since August as well.
“Another big part of my team talk was that in the last three and a half years I think only eight times have we won back-to-back league games,” said the Watford head coach. “This season we’ve done it three times now, and our challenge is not to go a bit loose after winning a game. “That comes back to that relentless nature I am trying to set.
“We want to be expecting to win matches here and when we do so, it doesn’t automatically mean that the next week we think we’re better than we are and become loose in our work.” With three months of the season now completed, the point at which phrases like ‘early days’ can no longer be used to describe the campaign and league table is very close. “I’ve always said that when we get to the November international break which is 15 games and almost a third of the season, then I think that is the point where the league table starts taking shape,” said Cleverley.
“It’s a big challenge for us this week to finish off this third block of games well and be inside the top six. “After the end of this week it isn’t really early days anymore, you’re well established in your league position and you can then set a realistic target for the end of the season.” Few outside of London Colney would have seen being in the top-six as realistic, and yet that is where Watford currently sit.
But they have only really clicked on a few occasions and it feels like the squad have not reached the ceiling of their capabilities. “Consistently, yeah, I think we can deliver more,” agreed Cleverley. “The second half against Stoke, I was really impressed with the first half against Sunderland and then the Sheffield Wednesday second half – that’s where it has really clicked for us.
“Doing that on a more consistent basis is the key. “I really think we can take confidence from being fifth in the league and yet we’ve not really hit top gear yet.” One thing the Hornets haven’t achieved yet is an away clean sheet – the last one of those came at Ipswich in April.
Would the Watford boss trade clean sheets for points? “I want to win,” he said. “Every coach wants clean sheets and I’m no different, I think clean sheets and home form are the foundation for success in this league. “We’ve not managed to get the key to clean sheets away from home, and we do need to become more resilient and hard to beat.
“However I would never complain if we’re winning in an entertaining way.” Of course it all comes back to balance, and making the team attacking enough to score goals while also being solid at the back to prevent them going in. “That balance is ultimately what my job is as head coach, to try and find the right balance in everything we do,” said Cleverley.
“Whether that’s the system we play, the age of the team, how attacking or defensive we are. “My job is to find the right balance. “We’re improving and I’d rather be on the entertaining side of that balance rather than last season where we were solid but didn’t look like scoring goals.
“Now we don’t look as solid, but we do look like scoring a lot of goals. “We’re still yet to find that perfect sweet spot of being solid as well as being creative, but we’ll get there.”.
