Southampton will have to get used to being barracked as they travel the Championship this autumn, the “Spygate” team set to be everyone’s favourite boo boys in the second tier. Certainly that was the case in Hertfordshire, with Watford fans and players alike beside themselves after a hard-fought victory, decided by two memorable first-half goals.
Tonda Eckert, the Southampton head coach, remains under investigation for his part in the Spygate affair and presented a subdued figure both during and after this contest. He insisted that his team were more united than ever after suffering the indignity of being removed from last season’s playoffs, “but it would be easier to say that after a victory”, Eckert acknowledged.
Watford paid tribute to Kenny Jackett before the match, the one-club legend and local boy hailed with two minutes of applause. This celebration of longevity and connection, with a Panini-inspired tifo tumbling down the stands, cut a contrast with the current operation, where Alessio Dionisi has become Watford’s 12th full-time manager in just the past five years.
“I am very tired and my team was too by the end,” said the Italian who was coaching Empoli in Serie B last season. Dionisi praised the attitude of his team – “I liked the mentality of my players, in every moment I saw one team working together,” he said. He also benefited from the Pozzo family’s multi-club network and the local academy in digging out a victory.
The Spain under-21 attacker Iker Bravo was one of several signings to make the familiar trek from “sister” club Udinese this summer, and he made his mark quickly, opening the scoring with a quite stunning solo goal in the 12th minute. It was all his own work and Bravo had to deploy a combination of skills to turn an innocuous situation into real danger. Looking to latch on to a long ball some 40 yards from goal, the 6ftplaymaker won the first header then, crucially, got a second touch with an outstretched toe to get the ball under control. Bravo then span immediately and drove at goal, pushing his way into the box before chopping right and getting off a low shot that Daniel Peretz got a hand to, butcould not keep out.
A great way to start any season, the energy among the Vicarage Road crowd grew immediately and the home side went on to dominate the first half. They doubled their lead in the 29th minute with a moment to remember for 19-year-old academy graduate Amin Nabizada who exploited the same gaps on the left of the Southampton defence to run with the ball from his own half before finishing precisely from a tight angle. “Nabizada was emotional but after the first 10 minutes he played well,” Dionisi said. “When there is one mentality amongst the team, then it’s better for him too.”
Southampton had the better of the second half, taking advantage of a drop in tempo from the hosts to assert their interests. A spell of concerted possession in the 56th minute ended with Kuryu Matsuki pulling out wide, the young midfielder Cam Bragg moving unmarked into the half space and his shift left finding the Canada World Cup star Cyle Larin to poke home from 10 yards out.
Larin had a chance to equalise just two minutes later with a shot on the turn but Federico Ravaglia – another new signing to impress for the Hornets – turned the ball round the post. When Finn Azaz came on as a second-half substitute for the Saints he bought an inch to fire off a low drive that went just beyond the left hand post. As a succession of dangerous set pieces were sent over by Ryan Manning, Southampton fans were singing “we’ll score when we want”.
But as the game passed through a flurry of substitutions Eckert’s team were unable to generate enough momentum to truly unsettle Dionisi’s men. Their only further chance came in added time and was scuffed wide by Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
Eckert said he had been happy enough with his team’s performance beyond “two errors in possession”. He insisted his squad are “very close and united” as a group. “We had a different expectation for the result but the group looks united and we now need to turn that into results.”
Opening matches rarely offer much insight into how a season will pan out. But Watford fans were able to enjoy both temperate weather and a decent performance. If Southampton want to transform the negative energy of Spygate into something positive, meanwhile, they will have to start again next week.
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