Watford 1–2 Swansea City: Swans can break a man’s arm — and his hope
As the old saying goes, ‘One win does not a Watford manager make’. Something like that, anyway.
After the highs of the 4–0 demolition of Stoke City in Slaven Bilić’s first game at the helm, the Hornets came crashing back down to earth at home to Swansea City. It was a greatest hits performance of everything that has been wrong this season and leaves the Croatian with a far clearer idea of the uphill task facing him if he is to outlive predecessor Rob Edwards.
Here are five thoughts from a nippy Vicarage Road as the Autumnal chill set in under the lights…
1. Penetration, penetration, penetration: Not a mid-90s Labour manifesto, a plea for more forward thrust from Watford in possession. This was back to the dreaded ‘U Shape’ my Watford Buzz podcast colleague Jordan Wiemer talks about eloquently. That is the idea that the Hornets pass the ball from side-to-side via the centre-backs in a massive U shape that takes us nowhere.
After the improvement in our incisiveness and willingness to try to get the ball forward at Stoke on Sunday, it was back to the ultra-cautious approach on Wednesday night with the Hornets unable to hold onto the ball for any length of time or create anything — particularly in the first half — except via the odd counter-attack.
The number of times the ball was worked out to Hassane Kamara who would slide it into an under-pressure Ken Sema who would either lose the ball or return it to the Ivorian was tedious. It was a similar story on the opposite flank where Mario Gaspar’s party trick is to just punch a hopeful first-time pass down the line for no one in particular.
The aforementioned players aren’t guilty in isolation, though, and more needs to be done by those ahead of them to make angles and options. There was one moment halfway through the first period that encapsulated this perfectly. Gaspar, in nosebleed territory, took the flak but the refusal of Ismaïla Sarr — or anyone else — to stretch Swansea by dropping into the space behind Ryan Manning left the Spaniard up a creek without a paddle.
2. Down to the bare bones: It’s been a common theme this season that the substitute’s bench has not had many — or any — game changers among its number
That reached new lows on Wednesday with youngsters Joseph Hungbo, Mattie Pollock and James Morris joining Vakoun Bayo, Dan Gosling, Imran Louza and goalkeeper Maduka Okoye. In the event, we saw two of those young lads pressed into action as the treatment room filled up.
Gaspar and Francisco Sierralta were both withdrawn — and at one stage it looked like Kamara might join them — leaving the Hornets with a back four of Kamara-Pollock-Kabasele-Morris from right to left. It was a defensive line with more than a whiff of ‘League Cup first-round exit to a League One side’ written all over it.
Injuries, of course, happen. Craig Cathcart, William Troost-Ekong Kortney Hause — a sub at Stoke but missing here — and Jeremy Ngakia were already sidelined, leaving Bilić short of options. But few things illustrate our woeful lack of squad planning like being forced to field those players as a backline. To give Morris his dues, he handled the situation well. The left-back was far from faultless but did not let Swans wing-back Matthew Sorinola or replacement Joel Latibeaudiere get the better of him. He tried to be bold in possession as the majority of play was funnelled down his side.
3. Defending the indefensible: Notwithstanding all the defensive shortages, the two goals the Hornets conceded were of their own making.
olivier Ntcham was given the freedom of the WD18 postcode before firing in off the heel of Kabasele from the edge of the box. It’s hard to decide who was ultimately more culpable on the equaliser: Gaspar or Kabasele. What’s for certain is that one or other of the two experienced defenders should have got out to the former Celtic midfielder and made life hard for him. The deflection might ultimately have carried the ball beyond Daniel Bachmann but the shot was entirely preventable.
That’s before we get onto the deplorable amount of space Swansea had to play in — a theme that was prevalent throughout, and in the winner. It’s not entirely clear whose man Ben Cabango was. But he ran off the back of Edo Kayembe with alarming ease. Perched halfway up the Sir Elton John Stand, as soon as the ball was whipped across the face of goal, it was evident what was going to happen. Cabango had the run on everyone in yellow and only needed to get a clean contact on the ball to guide it beyond Bachmann.
4. Substance with style: Russell Martin has forged a reputation as one of the most forward-thinking and progressive young coaches in the EFL — and rightly so.
Particularly in the first 20 minutes at the Vic’, his side gave Watford a footballing lesson. This was what a well-coached, well-balanced team given time could look like. But the accusation often levelled against these teams is they are a bit soft. Not so Swansea.
In all my years of predominantly Championship football, I don’t think I’ve witnessed such a stop-start match, largely thanks to the visitors. Call it gamesmanship, streetwise, nous or worse, the visitors used every trick in the book. Kicking the ball away at free-kicks, standing on the ball when Watford attempted to take them, holding onto the ball at throw-ons, collapsing on the ball at the breakdown. You name it, they did it.
It certainly wasn’t pretty to watch — and contributed to an ugly, fractious, bitty game — but it was effective. It’s the sort of cynical side Watford need. At the moment, the Hornets lack the swashbuckling style of Martin’s side and the shithousery.
5. A performance for the ages: Games are won and lost on more than the performance of the officials. I have tried to avoid using this blog to chastise them for that reason.
My eyesight is bad enough that even with the aid of replays, it took several attempts to see the alleged handball towards the end of last night’s game. In the event, it was a Watford hand rather than a Swansea one. But the display of referee Tim Robinson was pitiful. He lost control of this one early on and never regained it.
The delay when the communication system stopped was laughable — it was not like the referee had been communicating with his assistants before that point. I’m sure it’s in the rules and he followed protocol. But let’s not forget, they used to cope without any of this technology. Of course, it was not in Robinson’s control. But it certainly felt like the coup de grâce for an abysmal display of officiating.
Yellow cards were handed out like flyers while Swansea players refereed the game and seemed — through my admittedly yellow-tinted specs — to get away with everything. Rob Styles, eat your heart out.