Roy Hodgson has been pleased with the attitude of his players on and off the pitch over the past week and sees plenty of positives from recent performances, but he knows “points and wins” are the only necessity at this stage of the Premier League season.
Despite there being promising aspects of the Hornets’ defeat to Leeds United last weekend, Hodgson believes the game was a missed opportunity ahead of another chance to climb up the table this weekend against a “hard to beat” Brentford side who are on a run of four wins in five.
Morale remains high among the squad and the Watford manager feels the Golden Boys are prepared for the clash with the Bees on Saturday afternoon (April 16, 3pm KO).
“I think the belief is there,” said Hodgson. “The performances even when we’ve lost have not been so bad that we’ve had no chance of winning those games. As a result, they realise if they continue to play in the same vein as they are playing, the chances to win will occur.
“During the last 11 games there have been some performances that I have been very pleased with, the problem is we are at the stage of the season in the dilemma of just needing wins and points. Playing okay or well doesn’t count for anything unless at the end of the game you are on the winning team. We’re fully aware that’s got to be our one and only goal, and we need to do anything we can to achieve it, and that means making certain that each and every one of the players is putting in as much effort as they can muster.
“We need at least one more point than the team third from bottom; how many points that will be I don’t know. This is the time in the season where strange things happen. We’ve just got to keep taking the opportunities that come our way because we’re not dead yet, we are still alive and kicking, still hoping and believing that we can get out of it. We have to take every opportunity that comes our way to get points and hope the teams we are chasing don’t have similar fortunes.
“We are conscious of the fact that this is another opportunity for us. It’s an equally difficult task, we knew Leeds were going to be hard to beat and we know Brentford are going to be hard to beat. The opportunity exists for us and we are fully aware that unless we start getting three points from some of these games we’re going to slip further behind the teams we’re chasing.
“We’re aware of our task, and now it’s very important that the players go out and show everybody, the club, the fans, that they are 100 per cent behind this survival fight.”
Thomas Frank’s Brentford side are in inspired form, with Christian Eriksen gaining many plaudits for his impact in midfield since signing in January.
The Danish playmaker earned praise from Hodgson and poses a threat in the opinion of the former England boss, but he isn’t the only key name in the Bees squad.
“You’ve got to be compact as a team because Eriksen’s got a load of ability,” Hodgson explained.
“When he gets time on the ball and a chance to lift his head, if there are spaces the defence have left open, Christian is a player who can see and deliver the pass that is necessary. It’s going to be very important, our strength in defending as a unit, to deny time and space, and hopefully stop Eriksen getting too much of the ball.
“It would be unfair on Brentford [to call him the only threat], because they’re playing very well and are a very strong team unit. He’s made them stronger but I wouldn’t go as far as to say that if we nullify his actions, the others won’t be able to step up and do a good job themselves.”
Alongside the news that Cucho Hernández is likely to miss the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury suffered in last weekend’s defeat to Leeds United, the Hornets boss also confirmed three minor injuries that will see players absent for the game at Vicarage Road.
“Samuel Kalu has got an ankle injury,” Hodgson added. “Will Troost-Ekong is suffering from a slight hamstring strain - we don’t think it’s major but it’s too early to risk him - and Francisco Sierralta has a calf muscle injury which has stopped him training this week. I don’t think it’s going to put him out for a long period of time but it’s put those four out of contention for a place this weekend.”
