Preview: Ismaël Speaks Ahead Of Rotherham Clash

Valérien Ismaël spoke to the media ahead of Watford’s Remembrance Matchday fixture at home to Rotherham United on Saturday (November 11, 3pm KO), with the Hornets looking to stretch their unbeaten run in the Sky Bet Championship to six games.

Covering a range of topics, including what he expects from the Millers, hopes heading into the international break and pre-game team news, read what the Head Coach had to say below…

On the threat posed by Rotherham:

It’s going to be another tough game. All the games are difficult though, which is why I’m not worried when we’re heading into a match in the Championship. I know the rules and how hard it is, but I trust my players, I have a good feeling with them, and I know that we’re all really focused. We trained well during the week, the environment is good, and we are ready.

On what the team have learnt by playing against different styles:

Last week (v Huddersfield Town, November 4) I think we came up against another way to play, so we’ve worked on solutions during the week and I think we’re now more ready to face all situations.

We’ve been in tough situations during this season and faced up to them. Sheffield Wednesday at home was one potential banana skin game and we overcame it, and then the next one and the next one. Now we have another challenge, and we will do everything in our power to win the game.

Breaking teams down is always difficult, and it’s not only us that has had to do it. You have to be really patient or really ruthless to create chances and force the game open. At some point the players need to step up, take more risks and force the opponent to defend more, and that’s what we’re looking to do.

[At home] we’ve seen a lot of opponents show us a lot of respect, stay compact and wait for moments like set-pieces. Part of the beauty of the Championship is that the game’s never done until the referee’s whistle goes. This isn’t a surprise to us anymore and we’re prepared - like we are playing against all different styles. We know we have the potential to create chances and score goals - we’ve got the key, now it’s just about expressing ourselves on the pitch and being clinical.

On the need to turn draws into wins:

We have drawn the joint-most number of games in the league (6), which shows that at the minute we are on the edge. We know we can push that in the right direction, and it’s a big motivation for us to keep pushing. We’re close now, but we just need to force the door open. We’ve worked very hard to get to this point, but we need to make the final differences to get to where we want to go, and this weekend is a great chance for us to start doing that.

On his reflections of the season so far:

I think it’s too early to speak about our goals for the season at the minute. If we review our games so far, I think we should have more points. It’s clear we have ambition, but first we need to establish that certainty and stability that’s needed in our game. After the international break we have some very tough fixtures against teams right at the top of the table, and I think then - around Christmas time - we will have a clearer picture of where we are and what we will be aiming for.

On team news for tomorrow’s game:

We’ve got a full squad, but there are one or two players who will need to be assessed before the game. I don’t want to mention any names because there’s still time before the match, and we just have to wait and see what happens.

On Imrân Louza:

We are ready to give everyone in the squad the chance to play, but it’s up to the players to put themselves in the starting XI. We know the quality we’ve got with Imrân, and we have to be patient and help him get back to his strengths.

On the importance of Remembrance Matchday:

We had a meeting during the week with Luther Blissett, which reminded us all about how important it is to not forget and to remember those we have lost. We support this 100 per cent from our hearts.