Nigel Pearson has stressed the importance of keeping a level head and not getting caught up in the hype around another important match against Newcastle United this weekend.
The Head Coach refused to get carried away after four wins in five over the Christmas period and kept his feet on the ground after that dramatic victory against champions Liverpool, so Tuesday’s win over Norwich won’t have changed his outlook too drastically.
“You’ve got to have some calmness, you’ve got to be able to play the games and not necessarily get involved in all the build-up that inevitable surrounds important games,” he said.
“What we’ve got to do is try to detach ourselves from the picture that’s out there in the world of the media and the fans, and we’ve got to just be able to deliver performances which enable us to pick enough points up.
“Whenever you win a game, it’s bound to bring some positive aspects, but we know our situation, we know we’re in a difficult situation. Teams are fighting for their lives, we’ve got to make sure our own performances give us the best chance of winning games, and that’s the bottom line.”
Even in a dominant performance, the result of a football match can always be decided by fine margins, such as mistakes or individual moments of brilliance.
Pearson knows a strong display in the remaining games will inevitably help the team’s chances but is also glad to have players in his side capable of winning games, such as Danny Welbeck, who brilliantly secured victory against the Canaries.
“We know we’ve got individuals who are capable of bringing something a little bit different, and that’s very important,” said the Head Coach.
“I’m very pleased for Danny because he’s been very patient, he’s worked really hard to get back and now he’s back, it’s an opportunity for him to secure a run in the side. If he plays well, he’s got a great chance of doing that.
“It’s always good for strikers to score, I don’t care how they go in, I don’t care who scores the goals. In the context of what we’re trying to do, it’s about us trying to win games, and if the team performs pretty well, we’ve got a better chance of doing it.”
Watford now have 31 points and Pearson admitted there’s no way of guessing how many will be needed to guarantee survival, so it’s a case of picking up as many as possible in the remaining four matches.
“We know what we’ve got to do, we’ve got to win enough points ourselves, so it’s about keeping that focus,” he said.
“I’m not wasting any energy in thinking or discussing anything else, it’s about what we do ourselves, that’s the important thing.
“We’re just preparing for this game to try and win it, then we’ll prepare for the next game and try and win that.
“We know that so far since the restart we’ve found it difficult, the atmosphere or the circumstances which surround matchdays now are very different, but it was just important for us to win the other day and we achieved that, so now we’re looking at the next game.”
