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The desire to be secure cost Watford the opportunity to be dynamic
It appears Watford’s season is currently going through a spell where feelings on how things are progressing are similar to opinions on that glass so often talked about.
Is it half-full, or is it half-empty?
Unbeaten in five games, one defeat in eight, sitting eighth in the Championship table and a match-in-hand-win away from a play-off spot.
But enduring last night’s largely grim 1-1 draw against a Hull side that had lost its last six and, even with the fabled ‘new manager bounce’, looked bereft of belief for an hour was far from uplifting.
There is nothing wrong with being critical of the individual performance, especially as it followed another less-than-impressive showing against QPR last time out.
And similarly, nobody who chooses to defend a limp showing in Humberside based upon the overall above-expectations season so far should be pilloried.
Perhaps the view on last night’s game is a hybrid of the two: it was a dreary, shot-shy, low-tempo performance but, because Tom Cleverley and his squad have managed to unexpectedly get Watford into the play-off picture, failing to beat a side that has been cannon fodder for others is a clear disappointment.
Lest we forget Cleverley has only really just lost his L-plates in terms of managing, and is probably still driving around with those green P-plates which encourage other motorists to cut you a bit of slack even if you carve them up.
The head coach has made some very good decisions this season, reviving the Watford careers of players like Mattie Pollock and Kwadwo Baah – but he won’t get everything right. What manager does?
His team selection last night had a whiff of safety first about it, and after the game he agreed that he had picked a team to get something from the game.
On the other hand, he was vehement in knocking back the suggestion Watford were at risk of becoming a team that holds on for as long as it can before unleashing the heavy artillery in the second half.
As Cleverley himself has said many times this season, football is much about balance.
Last night, it felt that Watford were too cautious from the first whistle – that they still had the best of the first-half exchanges perhaps underlined how Hull have struggled and the effect it’s had on them.
After Ryan Longman had sidefooted a very good first-minute chance wide, the Hornets took hold of proceedings and had more of the ball in better areas.
The hosts looked and played like a team expecting to go behind. Yes, they pressed high and hard, but they looked nervous and so often they retreated in numbers.
No surprise really, as the Tigers had lost four and drawn two of their last six at the MKM Stadium.
There appeared to be plenty of grass down the flanks for Watford to run into and Giorgi Chakvetadze was finding it easy to collect the ball in pockets of space and turn in his own time.
But once they got to the final third, Watford floundered.
They didn’t manage a shot on target in the first half for all their probing and possession.
There was a lack of movement to stretch the home defence and while Chakvetadze clearly made them nervous, he couldn’t do it all on his own.
Vakoun Bayo has slid back to pre-Sheffield Wednesday performance levels and last night he didn’t do much to help his midfield and wing-backs by rarely running into areas he could be given the ball, or attacking crosses.
Indeed, Daniel Bachmann had to make a good stop at his near post late in the half, and then made a couple of top-quality saves in the second half.
The Austrian got a strong hand to a low shot from Joao Pedro and the referee incorrectly awarded a goal kick, and he was alert and quickly off his line to deny Mason Burstow.
As the clock ticked past the hour mark, it was almost possible to see Hull realise they might actually be able to win a game and as they grew in belief, the Hornets were pushed back.
Admittedly, when the goal came there was a good chunk of luck about it as Pedro’s shot took a large deflection off what looked like Chris Bedia’s arm and wrong-footed Bachmann.
There were no major appeals from the Watford players, but replays showed Bedia appeared to know what part of his body the ball had hit, and his muted celebrations perhaps indicated he wasn’t sure he’d get away with it.
Suddenly, from a potentially poor night Watford were facing a really embarrassing one, and if there is a crumb of comfort then it is that the players dug themselves out of a hole, albeit one largely on their own making.
It was two of the ‘artillery’ that combined for the equaliser, with Baah running from halfway in typical ‘stop me if you think can’ style.
His path into the box was aided by a clever Ryan Andrews block and, when he pulled the ball back, Rocco Vata had held his run and was perfectly-placed to sweep it into the net for his first Watford goal.
After the game, Cleverley explained that the likes of Baah and Vata will start more games when they learn how to do the ‘non sexy’ parts of the job.
Presumably that’s the unseen stuff like tracking back, helping out the defence and such.
It’s a tricky conundrum for Cleverley, as he has some obvious matchwinners in his squad, but if they aren’t doing their fair share at both ends of the pitch then playing them will leave gaps for the opposition.
Last night was a good example, as he chose steady and solid over silky and sensational.
The Hornets generally looked in control for the first hour but without ever working the Hull keeper.
As the subs appeared, so did the likelihood of the home side scoring – though whether those who went off would have done what Baah and Vata did is very much open to debate.
Understandably the Hornets boss wants to get away points on the board and that was reflected in his team selection.
However, in hindsight, seeing the lack of confidence and capability of Hull in the first hour, starting with all the attacking threat might have seen Watford able to put the game to bed and afford them the luxury of then replacing the flair players with the more dependable, defence-minded options.
Aside from Bachmann, who was probably the best of the Hornets on the night apart from one scary Cruyff turn in his own box, Ryan Porteous caught the eye.
While events at Euro 2024 may take many years to leave his mind, they appear to have gone from his performances.
He was calm and confident, aggressive but in a controlled way, and his willingness to burst down the flank causes a problem that opponents probably weren’t expecting to face.
Alongside him, Francisco Sierralta is going through a sticky patch, particularly on the deck.
His passing was poor last night, and for some reason he’s taken to striking the ball almost as if he is striking a pose for a photograph.
With Angelo Ogbonna only a possibility for Sunday’s game with West Brom, Sierralta may well stay in the team although giving James Morris a run on the left of the rearguard adds a bit of composure and allows Mattie Pollock to adopt the aggressor role that he enjoys the most.
The next two fixtures will pose a different challenge, as both West Brom and Burnley are in direct competition with Watford for promotion and play-offs.
Both sides have only lost a couple of games all season and neither concede many goals.
The Hornets will need to be vastly better than they were last night, that’s for certain.
It will be interesting to see how many of the players that pose the most obvious attacking threat Cleverley feels he can pack into his starting XI.
With a proud and lengthy unbeaten run at Vicarage Road, Watford will make any visiting side think twice when they arrive.
There is a need to be solid and secure but, especially on your own turf, attack is generally the best form of defence.
