3 things we clearly learnt about Watford after their 2-1 loss v Swansea | OneFootball

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·6 October 2022

3 things we clearly learnt about Watford after their 2-1 loss v Swansea

Article image:3 things we clearly learnt about Watford after their 2-1 loss v Swansea

The honeymoon period at Watford was well and truly over for Slaven Bilic last night as his side suffered a late defeat at home to Swansea City.

From the off, the away side looked the better side, having plenty of the ball and playing through Watford with ease at times, albeit creating very little in the final third.


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Watford began to come back into it around the 30 minute mark, though, and Ismaila Sarr slotted home to give them the lead shortly after after some nice work from Keinan Davis and Ken Sema down the left.

Following half time, Swansea came out once again the better side, and were perhaps fortuitous with Oliver Ntcham’s 52nd minute strike taking a deflection on its way to finding the Watford net. The intent was there, nevertheless.

With a lengthy delay due to communications devices of the match officials not working, there were 17 minutes of added time at Vicarage Road last night and it was the away side who were to make the most of them.

Ben Cabango found himself totally free from a set piece eight minutes into those 17, and duly nodded home, sending the travelling Swansea fans into delirium.

The result leaves the Hornets sitting 10th in the Championship standings.

With that said, here are three things we learnt about Watford following the match.

Bilic got the set up wrong

One thing that was evident given the performance is that the set up of Watford was all wrong.

Throughout the match, the distance between Yaser Asprilla in attacking midfield playing as the 10, and the two holding midfielders in Edo Kayembe and Hamza Choudhury was too large.

It allowed Swansea, a side who like to keep possession and who play through the centre to dominate the ball and play through the Hornets with ease at times.

Asprilla dropped slightly deeper in stages, but, when Imran Louza was introduced in the second half, the same problems persisted.

Indeed, you feel Louza would perhaps have been better to be deployed where Kayembe was.

It will be interesting to see how Bilic now lines up the side away at Blackpool on Saturday.

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Article image:3 things we clearly learnt about Watford after their 2-1 loss v Swansea

BRITT ASOMBALONGA

ALANYASPOR ADANA DEMIRSPOR

Squad depth an issue

With an injury or two here and there, Watford’s lack of strength in depth was once again highlighted.

Mario Gaspar was taken injured at right-back, meaning Hassane Kamara was once again forced to go and play on the right hand side of defence.

Meanwhile, James Morris, who in fairness was steady, came on for his senior league debut for the club.

It was a similar situation at centre-back when Francisco Sierralta was forced off with injury and replaced by Mattie Pollock, too, also making his senior league debut for the Hornets.

With two of the back four making their league debuts for the club, and the club’s left-footed left-back forced to play on the right, in the final stages, perhaps things were always going to end badly for Watford on the night.

Bad defending costs Watford again

Last but not least, we learnt that bad defending once again cost Watford points.

It’s been a common issue so far this season and was once again on display last night.

For the first goal, neither Christian Kabasele or Mario Gaspar closed down quickly enough, with the former diving in to block what was a fake shot, giving Ntcham that extra yard to get his strike away, which deflected off of Kabasele and in.

It was a similar story for the second, too.

Edo Kayembe appeared to be the man marking Ben Cabango, but as the free kick was whipped in, the midfielder completely let his man go.

Watching back replays, it is almost laughable how little effort the midfielder makes to affect his man.

Unfortunately for Watford and Bilic, these are the sorts of individual mistakes that have been all too common at Vicarage Road in recent years, and you feel it is recruitment rather than time on the training ground that is the remedy.

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