Claudio Ranieri is looking for consistency and a positive attitude from his players as they prepare to face an in-form Arsenal side this weekend.
A productive week of training in all areas of the pitch has the squad ready for action against the Gunners on Sunday, and Ranieri is hoping to see his philosophy demonstrated on the pitch.
The Hornets are boosted by the return of Emmanuel Dennis from suspension too. Dennis scored and provided two assists in his last match, a 5-2 win at Everton.
“This week we worked around the defensive line, but also in our training sessions we looked at how we attack, defend, everything,” the Head Coach explained.
“We always do something different [in training] to help the team.
“It’s not easy for a Head Coach to change the mentality, and the players must understand the philosophy. I want to speak to their brain and their heart.
“[Dennis] is a very talented player. He’s fast, has good skill, always runs straight to the goal - I love these kinds of players. I missed him in the Southampton match and I think he can have a very good match against Arsenal.”
Arsenal are nine games unbeaten in all competitions and have improved vastly on their disappointing early-season form.
The Italian has watched Sunday’s opponents frequently so far this term and is wary of the quality in their side, but knows the Hornets are capable of causing the north London side problems.
“On Sunday we will play against a very good team, a very good manager. Now we have to do our best to do something good,” said Ranieri.
“Every manager has his idea and the Arsenal players understand what [Mikel] Arteta wants. I’ve watched Arsenal play with a lot of quality, when they counter attack they are fantastic and it is very similar to Arsene Wenger’s counter attack. We must be careful of it.
“I’m awaiting a difficult match, but I’m sure for Arsenal it will be a difficult match too.”
Ranieri is just over a month into his tenure at Vicarage Road and is still establishing an identity in his team. He wants to see good performances, as well as results, with a positive attitude throughout.
“It will be very important to achieve the points but also to see how they show my philosophy,” he explained.
“We are building a team with a different philosophy, and I think they need time to understand me. We are very close to showing my football.
“We must show good football but also have a good attitude, and I’m sure we can do this.”
