Bayo receives praise on a night when few deserved any
Four more this season and Vakoun Bayo will become the first Watford player to score 14 or more league goals in a season since Odion Ighalo in the 2015/16 campaign.
His 87th-minute leveller took him into double figures for this term, and makes him the Championship’s joint third-highest scorer behind Borja Sainz of Norwich (15) and West Brom’s Josh Maja (13).
While 40% of his goals came in one game – the 6-2 away win at Sheffield Wednesday – Bayo is still scoring more than many would have expected.
The Ivory Coast international’s best scoring season was in 2018/19, when he scored 18 in 24 outings – though that was for Dunajska Streda in the Slovak League.
“I thought Bayo’s all-round performance made him one of those ones that really put himself about,” said Tom Cleverley after the draw at Cardiff.
“They’re the goals that really please me – where our goalscoring players are in the right positions to score the goals.
“It might not land on his head every time but you do your job and be in the right place.
“He does a lot of work for the team that can sometimes be under-estimated, and for that work I thought his performance tonight was clearly one of our best out there.
“His hold-up play, his running in behind, his aggression: I’m really pleased he was rewarded with his goal because he does a lot of that for the team and sometimes that is not so easy to be rewarded for.”
However, when one of your best performers in a game gets noticed for hard work and running, the inference is others didn’t even display those basic characteristics.
“Before I watch the game back and I get all the physical data I don’t think I can point any fingers,” admitted Cleverley.
“People like Giorgi are never going to be ones who win 90% of their tackles.
“All I ask from players like that is let’s improve 10% of what is your average because recently we’ve not been good enough at the basics.
“I thought we were better at first and second contacts, and we defended set pieces – last-ditch at times – and we can still improve.
“That is the only way to get out of these periods is to work hard and do the basics to the best of your ability.”
Having been relatively quiet, Kwadwo Baah popped up with a telling piece of play to create Bayo’s equaliser.
“He’s got that moment and they’re priceless those players,” stressed Cleverley.
“He can do more, he knows he can do more and I think our players can also learn a lot off each other.
“KB has outstanding qualities but the way that Rocco attacks the box like he believes he’s going to score every time – KB needs to add that to his game.
“The amount of times where someone will be going down the left and KB will be ball-watching outside the box.
“I’ve sat down with him and shown him stats of how many goals Raheem Sterling has scored at the back post for Man City. He needs to add that to his game.”
