What was the situation like when the league was suspended on 13 March? An astonishing 3-0 thrashing of then-unbeaten Liverpool in Watford’s last home game before lockdown showed the team’s potential, though it was a first win in six troubled weeks. That run included conceding a last-minute winner at Aston Villa having been 1-0 up, conceding a last-minute winner at home to Everton having been 2-0 up and a late own-goal equaliser at Brighton, and was immediately followed by a limp defeat at Crystal Palace.
On the plus side, against Liverpool they demonstrated how effective a Gerard Deulofeu, Troy Deeney and Ismaïla Sarr combination in attack can be. On the downside, Deulofeu sustained a knee ligament injury that ensured the trio will not be seen together again this season. Despite the many missteps and mistakes throughout this season, though, Watford were outside the bottom three (just) with a reasonable list of remaining fixtures and reasonable grounds for optimism.
What is the situation like now? The break has allowed José Holebas and the almost permacrocked Daryl Janmaat to edge closer to comebacks after four and seven months out, respectively. Holebas is now back in full training if unlikely to dislodge Adam Masina from the first team. Otherwise the team have a clean bill of health, including the once coronavirus-positive Aidrian Mariappa, who would never have known he had Covid-19 if he had not been tested for it. The more pressing questions concern the squad’s psychological health, given the reservations publicly expressed about the restart by the club’s chairman, head coach and captain. Troy Deeney’s reticence to return to training was eventually eased after a series of conversations with the country’s deputy chief medical officer, Jonathan Van-Tam.
What needs to be done to have a successful end to the season? Given the chaos and disappointment that has characterised it, any conclusion to the season that allows Watford to banish all memories of it (except the Liverpool win) and look forward to the next one without having a relegation to deal with will be more than acceptable. They have a couple of tactical questions to answer before they get there, the most pressing being a replacement for Deulofeu. The Spaniard has not been particularly productive this season but his pace, directness and willingness to take on players are troublesome for defenders. This would be the perfect opportunity for Danny Welbeck, who has had yet another injury-ravaged season, last started a game on the first weekend of October and is yet to score or create a goal since joining the club last summer, to make the club’s gamble on signing him appear less foolhardy, with Roberto Pereyra the only genuine alternative.
Have the players and staff behaved during lockdown? Unlike some, Watford’s players have caused more trouble by refusing to emerge from lockdown than by doing so prematurely. One player did throw a mid-lockdown headline-grabbing celebrity party, though Andre Gray’s only guest was Little Mix’s Leigh-Anne Pinnock, his girlfriend of four years to the day and it ended with the two of them getting engaged. Mariappa’s insistence, upon testing positive, that “I haven’t really left the house, apart from some exercise and the odd walk with the kids” apparently makes him a fairly typical member of this squad.
Any unsung/community heroes? Lockdown meant all-round nice guy Ben Foster had to put a stop to his pensioner-rescuing ways, but he has proved an engagingly cheerful leader of virtual spin classes both for his teammates and the BBC’s Football Focus panel, while physical distancing has not dimmed his predilection for long-distance bike-riding. Since Watford last played he has celebrated both his 37th birthday and a new contract, which could keep him at the club until 2022.
Key player in the run-in? The Hornets could do with one of their more peripheral forwards hitting form. If not Welbeck, there is a chance that the Brazilian prodigy João Pedro, who scored two goals in 20 minutes when given his league debut at Fluminense last May, could have a similar impact if given a first chance. But the key man is surely Sarr, the wildly encouraging 22-year-old whose past eight starts have brought four goals and four assists – so long as they can make sure he is confident, healthy and occasionally gets the ball, Watford should be able to survive.
End-of-season-prediction Extreme discomfort, but probably not complete disaster.
Remaining fixtures (all times BST): Sat 20 June Leicester (h) – 12.30pm, BT Sport Thurs 25 June Burnley (a) – 6pm, Sky Sports Sun 28 June Southampton (h) – 4.30pm, Sky Sports TBC Chelsea (a), Norwich (h), Newcastle (h), West Ham (a), Manchester City (h), Arsenal (a)
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 29 | 45 | 82 |
| 2 | Man City | 28 | 37 | 57 |
| 3 | Leicester | 29 | 30 | 53 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 29 | 12 | 48 |
| 5 | Man Utd | 29 | 14 | 45 |
| 6 | Wolverhampton | 29 | 7 | 43 |
| 7 | Sheff Utd | 28 | 5 | 43 |
| 8 | Tottenham Hotspur | 29 | 7 | 41 |
| 9 | Arsenal | 28 | 4 | 40 |
| 10 | Burnley | 29 | -6 | 39 |
| 11 | Crystal Palace | 29 | -6 | 39 |
| 12 | Everton | 29 | -9 | 37 |
| 13 | Newcastle | 29 | -16 | 35 |
| 14 | Southampton | 29 | -17 | 34 |
| 15 | Brighton | 29 | -8 | 29 |
| 16 | West Ham | 29 | -15 | 27 |
| 17 | Watford | 29 | -17 | 27 |
| 18 | AFC Bournemouth | 29 | -18 | 27 |
| 19 | Aston Villa | 28 | -22 | 25 |
| 20 | Norwich | 29 | -27 | 21 |
