Isolation has allowed me to watch all the highlights on the official Watford FC site. (well not all the highlights. I don't look t the big defeats!) I have the following observations, some of which have surprised me: 1) We play well when Deeney is playing but not controlled by a defender. He is much more than just aggression and if he is not against a defender who knows how to deal with him we are always likely to score. He may not score but others will. 2) Andre Gray is an instinctive striker. If he has time to think he will miss. He tries hard but usually doesn't add much. 3) Kabasele is either very good or a liability. 4) Kiko played well under the Snake but not as well as he is doing now. 5) I had completely forgotten about Carrillo. He seemed to be quite good at scaring defences but was only a bit better than Nordin Amrabat. 7) Richarlison missed an awful lot of opportunities. 8) The midfield is where our strengths really lie. It doesn't seem to matter who is playing there out of Hughes, Doucouré, Capoue, Watson or Cleverley, with Chalobah as a good back up. 9) Apart from Walter's season we need fast wingers and wingbacks who can defend. Zeegelaar (who is still on our books) could attack but not defend. Janmaat is better but still a bit suspect in defence. 10) Despite the league position we seem to have a better side under Pearson than under any of the previous head coaches. The side is better balanced.
Some good observation here. The TD element is quite challenge for the club. How can we still play well when he is not playing as with age he is likely to miss more games per season?
Since Pearson arrived I think that there have been more balls played up to Deeney in the air as he will win against many average PL defenders, and frequently can head it down to a team mate. However when he comes up against a top international who is just as big as him, he is nowhere near as effective. On those days we seem to struggle.
