Cleverley: “We Can Show Everyone What We've Got”

After an uninterrupted week training with Head Coach Xisco Muñoz, Tom Cleverley sees the FA Cup third round tie at Manchester United as a free opportunity to show off the team’s new attacking philosophy.

The 31-year-old returns to his old stomping ground knowing the Hornets can more than make up the numbers against last season’s semi-finalists if they come out of their shell and break from their previously predictable rhythm.

“We’ve got nothing to lose. It will be a good stadium, a good pitch and maybe a chance to see our new signing, so it’s a positive game for us. We can go up there and try and show everyone what we’ve got,” said Cleverley.

“As a team I think we can gel together a lot, we have been a bit predictable at times, but Philip [Zinckernagel] looks really good in training and maybe he can be the player who knits the midfield to the strikers, being a bit unpredictable in pockets and things like that.

“We’ve got things to work on and we know that, because we don’t want to be sixth in the league, we want to be top two. We’ve got a solid base to work on and a positive manager so there’s no reason we can’t do it.”

It’s still early days under the new Head Coach but Cleverley has been particularly impressed with how Muñoz works individually with players to improve their play, so much so that he’s already taking notes for his own future in coaching.

“He’s a proper breath of fresh air, he’s positive, upbeat, laughing and joking, but on the pitch he’s serious and trying to get us more of an attacking mentality,” said the midfielder.

“He’s putting a lot of work in, a lot of individual video clips with players that as a player I personally like. I’m impressed with how he’s preparing teams, to say he’s inexperienced as a manager.

“Thinks like the individual video clips he’s really good at and I’ll take that into my coaching career if that ever happens. To sit down with players individually, and not necessarily on the training field, is a really good tool and he’s great at that.”

From his new coach to an old one, Cleverley played under Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær during his time in the Red Devils’ academy and is looking forward to several reunions on Saturday.

“Ole was my reserve team manager for six months to a year so I’ve crossed paths with him and obviously I’ve played with Fletch [Darren Fletcher] and Michael Carrick, so there’s more familiar faces on the staff than in the playing staff,” he said.

“Coaching came naturally to him [Solskjær] and at the time I thought he was great for the young strikers, with his moves and natural finishing. I’m really pleased for him that he’s gone on to have success at Manchester United.”