"It makes no sense at all" - Tom Cleverley urged to make key Watford FC change v Leeds United | OneFootball

FLW's Hornets fan pundit thinks Jonathan Bond deserves a chance over Bachmann at Elland Road

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Tom Cleverley has been told to make one change to his starting eleven on Tuesday night as Watford make the trip to Leeds United in a Championship clash, bringing Jonathan Bond back into the side in place of number one keeper Daniel Bachmann.

The Hornets need to produce a big performance at Elland Road off the back of their last outing, as Luton Town won bragging rights with an emphatic 3-0 win in the M1 Derby on Saturday afternoon.

Cleverley's side began the season in red-hot form with wins in each of their first five games in all competitions, but they have found results harder to come by in recent weeks with just two victories from their last eight outings in league and cup.

They still sit in eighth place in a tight Championship top-half, but will have their work cut out in midweek against a Leeds side that have lost just once in their first 10 league games and are keeping up the pace on the automatic promotion spots in third place as it stands.

Austrian international Bachmann has been the Hornets' main keeper for the last two seasons, but was sidelined by a thigh injury last month and replaced by back-up Bond for three league games in his absence, yet he came back in at the weekend for the trip to West Yorkshire.

Jonathan Bond backed to replace Dan Bachmann again for trip to Leeds

Bond rejoined the Hornets in the summer from LA Galaxy, after he had come through the ranks at Vicarage Road and made 33 appearances for the club from 2011 to 2015.

He featured off the bench as Bachmann was substituted in a 4-1 loss to Norwich on September 21, then played against Man City in the EFL Cup, and Sunderland, Preston North End and Middlesbrough in the Championship before the Austrian number one returned to the starting eleven at Kenilworth Road on Saturday.

Bachmann was hapless as Watford conceded three to their bitter rivals, and Hornets fan pundit, Justin Beattie, believes that Bond deserves another start against the Whites at Elland Road on Tuesday as a result of his poor performance.

“One change I would make to the lineup is to drop Daniel Bachmann and bring Jonathan Bond back in goal," Justin told FLW.

“It was clear before kick-off on Saturday at Kenilworth Road that Bachmann was not fit to play. He couldn’t kick, he looked as though he wasn’t ready to come back in following his injury.

“It would have made much more sense to have played Bond over him.

“In fact, (Tom) Cleverley even mentioned in his post-match (interview) that he picked Bachmann because he is our number one, but that he had sustained a further injury in training the day before.

“It makes no sense at all to be playing an injured Daniel Bachmann when you’ve got a fit Jonathan Bond ready to go. That is the change I would make.”

Tom Cleverley looks unlikely to hand Bond a chance ahead of Bachmann

Bond seemingly did his chances of a possible breakthrough into the Hornets' starting eleven no harm during his short stay in the side, with solid performances in wins over Sunderland and Middlesbrough, but his immediate relegation back to the bench at Kenilworth Road has shown that Cleverley is set to stick by his main man Bachmann.

A fresh update from the Watford boss ahead of their trip to Elland Road also does not make good reading for Bond, as he defended his choice to pick Bachmann on Saturday and gave a hint at his thinking for the Leeds game in his pre-match press conference on Monday morning.

"“At the time I didn’t feel like I was taking a big gamble, and I think he was protecting himself a little bit with the throwing out,” Cleverley told the Watford Observer.

“Looking back on the game he put us at a bit of risk with how many times he threw the ball.

“When you digest the three goals then Dan’s thigh hasn’t been the reason we conceded them, but it was maybe a reason why the momentum of the game was the way it was.

"He feels much better now, and he’s passed his fitness test and is available for tomorrow’s game.

"The complete clarity I gave the players was is if Dan Bachmann is 100% fit – and before the game we thought he was, or certainly in the high 90s – then he currently plays.

“What Jonathan Bond did do in the games he played was to tell us that we can rely on him and he’s not done himself any harm.

“But right now, if Dan’s fit then he plays – and I think it’s important for me as a head coach to have clarity in that position.”

With that said, it certainly looks likely that the Austrian will be lining up in goal at Elland Road on Tuesday evening, barring any last-minute issues that could rule him out.

Bond will likely feel disappointed by that outcome, especially given his decent showings while Bachmann was out, but he could find himself back in the team sooner rather than later if his injury issues arise once more.