There are some afternoons that you never get back. This was one of them. Étienne Capoue, however, will be happy to forget it. In a game that had 0-0 written all over it, Watford’s record signing had the opportunity to tear up the script.
The clock had creaked to the 66th minute when Troy Deeney flicked on from a corner and there was Capoue, three yards out and with the goal gaping. The ball came to him quickly and it was slightly behind him but jaws dropped to the floor around the ground when he headed up and over the crossbar. The attempt appeared to come off his shoulder.
Watford remain unbeaten and their Premier League tenure is still at the stage where any point feels as though it is one gained. But the manager, Quique Flores, has to hope that his radically remodelled squad will find greater cohesion in the weeks ahead. He could also lament a bad miss from Odion Ighalo. His team had no shots on target.
For Southampton, there was little to cheer – apart from the clean sheet, after the defensive wobbles from their opening matches – and the negatives included a hip injury that forced off Sadio Mané in the 25th minute. Ronald Koeman, the manager, said that the damage did not look too bad and he hopes to have the forward, who has been linked with a move to Manchester United, available for Thursday’s Europa League play-off second leg at Midtjylland.
Koeman has given the impression that he is groping for the right tactical blend, as he incorporates the club’s latest influx of new signings – there were four of them in his starting lineup here – and he switched to a three-man defence, with the wing-backs asked to provide the width. After the concession of five goals in the first two league fixtures, Koeman could, at least, be happy that Watford were stymied. Further forward, though, Southampton were error-strewn and lacking incision.
This team is a work in slow progress and so are Watford, after the churn of the summer transfer window. So far, 11 new players have arrived and there is the prospect of more to come. Flores started with six of the new boys and he introduced a seventh – Alessandro Diamanti – as a half-time substitute for his debut.
Flores was grilled over why he omitted Matej Vydra from the squad – the striker starred for the club last season and he has now made his loan move from Udinese permanent – but the manager said that he was working with 30 players, and he could only include so many. There will have to be cuts before he submits his squad after the deadline.
The entertainment value was non-existent, with Allan Nyom’s ninth-minute shot which almost hit the corner flag setting the tone. José Holebas made a sweet connection with a drive but it whacked into his team-mate, Deeney, while the Southampton substitute Shane Long jinked through but he could not muster power in his shot. Ikechi Anya was willing and he fizzed a low centre across goal on 41 minutes but the ball went through Ighalo’s legs at the far post.
Graziano Pellè worked Heurelho Gomes at the near post on 50 minutes and Long headed over from the ensuing corner while there was the detail of Oriol Romeu collecting his third booking in three games for Southampton. Romeu cut through the back of Capoue, and it looked extremely painful. Worse, though, was to follow for the Watford midfielder.
Man of the match José Fonte (Southampton)
