OPINION - Five thoughts following Watford's draw with Sunderland.
Watford and Sunderland shared the spoils on Sunday at Vicarage Road, in what was Quique Sanchez Flores' final match as manager.
The Spaniard is to depart after a year in the hot-seat at Vicarage Road, having guided the Golden Boys to a 13th place finish in the Premier League.
He made three changes to the Watford starting line-up, with Nathan Ake, Sebastian Prodl and Adlene Guedioura replacing Ikechi Anya, Allan Nyom and Mario Suarez.
The Hornets started brightly on Sunday, but it was Sunderland who went in with the lead at half time. Jeremain Lens crossed for Jack Rodwell to calmly slot home.
Just three minutes after half time and the Hornets were level, as Adlene Guedioura's corner was thumped home by Sebastian Prodl.
However, the Hornets weren't on level terms for long, as the Black Cats went on a quick counter attack after a Watford corner was cleared and Duncan Watmore played in Lens, who shifted the ball back onto his left foot and slotted the ball home.
The Golden Boys got back on level terms once again ten minutes later, as the Hornets were awarded a penalty by referee Kevin Friend, after Jose Manuel Jurado was fouled by John O'Shea. Troy Deeney stepped up and calmly slotted the pall past Jordan Pickford.
After attending Sunday's game at Vicarage Road, here are five of my main thoughts:
1 - Fitting send off for Sanchez Flores
(Picture - Zimbio)
Sunday proved to be a fitting send off for Quique Sanchez Flores. The day would have been perfect if Watford had managed to beat Sam Allardyce's Sunderland on Sunday, but in the end it was a decent performance from the Golden Boys in what was an entertaining game. Whilst I do agree with the decision for Watford and the Spaniard to part ways, it was important to acknowledge the work the 51-year-old has done this season and what he has achieved. He did the job we all hoped he would, by guiding the Hornets to safety and he did so with relative ease. A 13th place finish cannot be taken for granted, given how competitive the Premier League is and we would all have taken that back in August. Ultimately this season has been a success, even if we are left to wonder where the Hornets could have finished if they had continued their excellent form during the first half of this term.
It is the poor form and performances during the second half of the season which has ultimately cost Flores his job and despite doing a good job over the course of this year, the Spaniard never really looked like he could turn things around. We've picked up just 15 points in the league this season and his stubbornness and continuous use of players outside of their positions, are other reasons why I think now is the right time for the former Atletico Madrid and Benfica head coach to depart. More on this can be found here:
https://www.thewatfordblog.com/news/opinion-is-this-the-right-time-to-say-goodbye-to-quique-sanchez-flores/.
I don't want to sound ungrateful, because I'm not. I'm thankful for the job Flores has done over the course of this season and I'll almost certainly look back on 2015/16 with fond memories. He did the job we all wanted him to and for that, I will always be grateful. The Spaniard got the send-off he deserved on Sunday and I certainly wish him the best for the future. I'm now looking forward to the next step on the Pozzo rollercoaster and what next season will bring.
2 - Shaky defence proves to be costly.
For so much of this season, I have praised the solidity of Watford's defence. For large parts of this campaign, our defence has been solid as a rock and we didn't really concede too many goals. However, since March, our defence has started to become rather shaky and mistakes have crept in and that was again evident on Sunday. The Hornets have now kept just one clean sheet in their last ten games in the Premier League and both of Sunderland's goals came as a result of poor defending. For the first, Sebastian Prodl slipped twice in the build-up and no one tracked the run of Jack Rodwell in the middle. For the second, the Golden Boys left only two men back after winning a corner and Nathan Ake made it far too easy for Lens to shift it back onto his left foot to curl the ball past Gomes. The Hornets were also lucky with the two disallowed Sunderland goals which were ruled out for offside, as replays showed that both Watmore and Dame N'Doye were both in line with in line with our defence. We never really looked comfortable defensively and were prone to mistakes, which has been the case for some time. Some investment is needed over the summer, especially in the full-back positions, as this is a particular weak point for the Golden Boys. Perhaps another centre half wouldn't go a miss either.
3 - Almen Abdi impresses.
I've been unconvinced with Flores' persistent use of Abdi and Jurado on the wings this season. For me, they aren't wingers and they need to play more centrally if you want to get the best out of them. Whilst I still maintain that a more central position is where you are going to get the best out of Jurado and Abdi, I was impressed by the performance of the latter on Sunday. He looked more like the Abdi we've grown to love since he joined the Hornets in 2012 from Udinese. Coming in from the right flank, he linked up well with Deeney and Ighalo, something we haven't seen too much of this season, and he came so close to opening the deadlock for the Hornets in the sixth minute. He was central to Watford's attacking play and I was surprised to see him substituted, as I thought he was having an excellent game. Abdi had more of an effect on Sunday's game and he was frequently involved in Watford's attacking play. He tracked back to help out defensively and was always available out on the right flank. With a new manager coming in over the summer, I hope we'll see the Swiss maestro more centrally next season, as he has shown previously that is where you will get the best from him.
4 - Deeney superb again.
(Zimbio)
If there's one player you can always rely on to perform, it's Troy Deeney. The striker has been so consistent this season and you can always rely on him to give 110% every single week. Sunday proved to be no different, as it was another superb performance from the Watford skipper. He linked up well with Odion Ighalo and Almen Abdi especially during the first half, which caused the Sunderland defence problems. He calmly slotted home the Hornets' second half penalty and could certainly stake a claim for Sunderland potentially receiving a red card, after he was seemingly scythed down by Kone when through on goal. Deeney won everything in the air and tracked back when the Hornets needed him defensively. He's so unselfish and brings so much more to this side then goals. He brings willingness, dedication, leadership, desire and quality. I could go on, but the list would
be too long. Deeney is a brilliant all-round player and someone the rest of the squad and fans look up to. A Watford side without Deeney is undoubtedly a weaker one. You notice the difference when he is not playing and he has played such a huge part in our success over the past few seasons. 15 goals represents an excellent first season for Deeney in the top-flight and I'm confident we will still see him in a Watford shirt next season.
5 - Ake has a bright future ahead of him.
(Picture - Alan Cozzi/Watford FC
I've enjoyed watching Nathan Ake in a Watford shirt this season. It took him a while to get into the starting line-up but when he did, he seized his opportunity and never looked back. Sunday proved to be another decent performance from the on-loan Chelsea man, who has a bright future ahead of him in the game. Ake got forward whenever possible to support the Hornets attacks and forced Jordan Pickford to make a good stop in the second half with a powerful effort. Over the course of the season, he has proved himself to be more than capable defensively and that was the same again on Sunday, although he will be disappointed that he couldn't have done more to prevent Lens from putting Sunderland back in front, just minutes after the Hornets had equalised. On the whole, it was a decent performance from the Netherland's Under 21 international. It caps off a good season for Ake, who has showcased he is more than capable of performing at the top-level and his adaptability could prove to be vital as he grows older. He has showed over the course of this campaign that he is an exceptionally talented player and he has all the attributes to succeed at the top level. It's been a pleasure watching Ake in a Watford shirt this season and he has a bright future ahead of him in the game.