The writing was on the wall for Xisco Munoz after the 1-1 draw with Newcastle United last week. Although, you could argue the writing was on the wall as soon as he accepted the job as Watford head coach just before last Christmas.
The Hornets made it very clear that the blame for a start that has been indifferent at best lay at the feet of their 13th appointment in the nine years of the Pozzo ownership.
“The board feels recent performances strongly indicate a negative trend at a time when team cohesion should be visibly improving,” the club said.
And they have a point. Seven points from as many games might seem like a decent return, but the two wins came against an undercooked and Covid-hit Aston Villa on opening day and a Norwich City side who sit rock bottom of the Premier League and have lost every single time they have played Watford under Daniel Farke.
Xisco’s sacking came a week after Cristiano Giaretta, Watford’s sporting director, wrote on Twitter of what most thought an undeserved point against the Magpies: “It’s not enough, we must grow up quickly because we know how to do better!”
And this invites the question of: well, do they?
Watford signed three forwards in the summer: Emmanuel Dennis from Club Bruges, former Bournemouth man Josh King and Ashley Fletcher from Middlesbrough. That trio combined to score two league goals last season – both by Fletcher in the Championship. To be fair to Fletcher, he has scored twice in as many Carabao Cup appearances this season, but this hasn’t led to an appearance in the Premier League.
In midfield, they have been heartbreakingly unfortunate with the injury to Peter Etebo, a loan signing from Stoke who is now out for up to five months with a torn quad. Turkish international Ozan Tufan also arrived with great fanfare from Fenerbahce, but only made his league debut in Saturday’s defeat at Leeds United.
They also brought in Juraj Kucka, 34, and Moussa Sissoko, 32. Add Tom Cleverley into the mix and Watford’s most used currently fit engine room has a combined age of 98.
It might be worth comparing and contrasting with Crystal Palace – a club of a similar size – who brought in Odsonne Edouard, who hit the back of the net 57 times in 94 league games for Celtic, Conor Gallagher on a season-long loan, which would be a longer term than your average Watford boss these days, and Michael Olise, 19 and already off the mark against Leicester in just three substitute appearances.
In defence, Danny Rose is already a fan favourite, but a mistake-prone central area was neglected in the summer.
Sometimes you have to pity the poor head coach, a term now as commonplace in soccer as it is in the NFL, where the model has always tended to be the head coach coaches and the general manager – or director of football, or sporting director – are in charge of recruitment.
It’s a pretty sweet deal. It’s not the director of football who has to front up to the media every week, it’s the head coach.
Xisco – and the fans – are at the very least deserving of an explanation as to why he was left with a creaking defence, a geriatric midfield and, Ismaila Sarr aside, a forward line that doesn’t score goals.
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2YaE0u3
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