Manchester City v Watford: Match Preview
By Joe Butterfield | 20 September 2019Joe takes a look at this weekend’s match at the Etihad. Rob Smith tells us about Watford’s situation.
(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
A comfortable win against Shakhtar Donetsk helped to quell some of the talks of “crisis” which had suddenly surfaced after last weekend’s shocking but fully deserved defeat to Norwich City. Shakhtar Donetsk had some threatening moments throughout, though it was a comfortable victory in the end for the blues, despite some wastefulness in attack. Now the challenge is to take that form into the next Premier League game, and what better game to get back to Premier League winning ways than against a team rock bottom of the table, who have just drawn with Arsenal, in the midst of the fabled new manager bounce?
After a terrible start to the season, the Pozzo family saw fit to get rid of Javi Gracia. On the surface of it, a manager being sacked after the first four games of the season seemed to be quite harsh. However, they’d managed to accrue only a single point in that time whilst winning only five of his last sixteen games. The Pozzo family, notoriously swift to act in such circumstances took action and got rid of him, though they surprisingly replaced him with a familiar face. Quique Sanchez-Flores is a manager who is known for being somewhat more defensive than the man he replaces. Despite this, the game against Arsenal showed that Watford are no slouches going forward and, especially in the position they’re currently in, may see a game against City as a free hit and probably go forward quite freely. The Norwich game last weekend will probably give them a bit of hope, as The Canaries were rewarded for their bravery in showing attacking intent.
However, a game against City at the Etihad is a different beast entirely. City, still stinging from their first Premier League defeat in eight months, will have a point to prove and past results have shown that they’re usually quite adept at proving these points when required. The game against Shakhtar will have given the blues great confidence going into the weekend. They weren’t at their free-flowing best by any stretch, yet they still comfortably dispatched the Ukranian champions with ease. Rodri spoke after the Norwich game of “killing our next opponents” and whilst it was probably more a case of GBH than outright murder, they certainly showed everybody that they’re not quite the team in crisis that many would like to paint them to be in the wake of a single defeat.
Selection Dilemmas
Going into the weekend, there are selection headaches for Guardiola, as is often the case. The form of Riyad Mahrez is something which can no longer be ignored, nor can the lack of form of Bernardo Silva. Yet every great Mahrez performance this season has been followed by him being dropped to the bench in favour of the Portuguese winger. I certainly don’t think this should be the case this time round. If anything a spell out of the side might do Bernardo some good.
Defensively, the centre-back problem answers itself. Eric Garcia won’t see a minute of Premier League football unless absolutely necessary and, as long as Fernandinho and Otamendi are fit, it won’t be. At full-back, however, it’s a different story. Benjamin Mendy, having just returned from fitness, definitely won’t be ready to start a Premier League game just yet. On the opposite side, Kyle Walker, despite a great run of form at the start of the season and a solid game against Shakhtar mid-week, has had two shockers in the Premier League before this Watford game and it can surely only be a matter of time before we see the introduction of Joao Cancelo into the starting line-up. The midfield questions are always there – will we see Foden start? Probably not, even if he recovers from his midweek virus. Kevin De Bruyne is nailed on, especially after his absence in the previous game cost the team dearly, and after an impressive showing on Wednesday it’s probably likely we’ll see Ilkay Gundogan alongside him.
At home, against a team in form as poor as Watford, this should surely be an easy victory for Guardiola’s team. There is always the new manager factor to be considered but it’s not just Watford who have something to prove to the rest of the league this weekend. Liverpool’s game against Chelsea has the potential to pose an opportunity for City to make up some ground on the current leaders, and they need to make sure they’re there to capitalise on any slip-ups.
Stats
Since the takeover in 2008, City have beaten Watford on all 11 occasions the two teams have met. The cumulative goal difference is 38-6.
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OPPOSITION VIEW
I spoke to Watford fan Rob Smith about the recent goings-on at his club in the lead up to this weekend’s match.
Your thoughts on the dismissal of Javi Gracia? Fair?
Gracia was a thoroughly likeable head coach who understood the club, and built a great rapport with the fans. Unfortunately however, there was a kind of perfect storm that’s been building really since the beginning of the year, that meant the sacking was fair. 9 defeats in his last 13 games, 39 goals shipped in the last 16 (though a level of blame must be apportioned to Technical Director Filippo Giraldi, for only adding the dubiously talented Craig Dawson to an already fragile defence), and generally poor performances throughout 2019. Many say he should have been given more time, after our most successful season back in the Premier League, but Gracia sadly demonstrated that he was fairly inflexible with tactics and personnel, and his team selection and late substitutes in most games was frustrating. Despite his positives, there was no sign he could get anything out of our defence, and turn the slump around.
Was the hiring of Quique Sánchez Flores sensible, or just desperate?
Definitely not desperate, but had you asked before the Arsenal game, I’d have said far from sensible. I’d now say most fans are cautiously optimistic. Flores mutually agreed not to take up his extension clause last time around, and from the club’s perspective this was largely because, like Gracia, he didn’t use the depth of the squad and blindly stuck by his favoured formation and tactics. The main difference between the approaches though is that Flores is more known for setting up in compact banks, with the emphasis on defending throughout the team. Something that is definitely required at the moment.
Has the owners’ constant cycling of managers held club back, or worked?
Head coaches please! This is very important to how the structure works, and why it’s not as big a deal as many think. The approach has categorically worked and driven the club forward. We have always had good seasons following a change. We get a lot of stick for it, with many pundits citing a lack of loyalty. What they miss though is, like Flores, and Francesco Guidolin at sister club Udinese several years ago, invariably head coaches leave on good terms – so good they often come back. The Pozzos have a superb scouting network, and this extends to coaches. They monitor everything and have the attention to detail to keep an eye on previous coaches, to see if they improve and develop in other jobs, just as players do. Yes, sometimes a change can be quite ruthless, like with Gracia, but it’s always calculated for the best interests of the club. With the managerial structure at the club, I can’t see it imploding like many lazy pundits suggest, as the roles and responsibilities in the club are spread out. The head coach is an important job title because it means they just have to focus on coaching, allowing getting new ideas to the players to be efficient and focused.
Did the performance against Arsenal give you hope, both for future and for City match?
Potentially, this question can quantify the previous answers. A great first 20 minutes or so got everyone excited, and then the usual defensive weaknesses occurred for the goals. The early curiosity quickly turned to the feeling of “nothing’s changed”. Except the head coach had. A seemingly motivational half time team talk instilling confidence of ability, and decisive, corrective, and positive substitutions early on, turned the game on its head. Arsenal admitted they were scared of our performance in the second half. Would this have happened under Gracia? Most would say unlikely. Substitutions would probably have been uninspiring and tardy, giving little time to get back in the game. Was this proof of a Pozzo masterstroke in re-hiring Flores? Far too early to tell, but his performance suggested he had learned how to mastermind a breath-taking attacking display, as well as defensive improvements. Something that we could rarely say previously with a more sensible, safe style of play. You’d think this was born out of necessity, being 2-0 down, but there’s definite signs of an improved head coach, who has already done wonders for confidence and future hope. Hope for the City match? Even with your defensive situation – not really!
Rob can be found on Twitter at @rte78
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