Valérien Ismaël spoke to the media following Watford’s 3-2 defeat to Middlesbrough at Vicarage Road, as goals from Vakoun Bayo and Wesley Hoedt were unable to secure a share of the spoils.
Covering a range of topics, including the frustrating result and where Watford need to improve heading into back-to-back away matches, read what the Head Coach had to say below…
On the game as a whole:
I’m not very happy with myself. I think today is on me because in the first-half I decided to change the shape and change something tactically and it didn’t work out like I expected. Especially when the opponent scored a goal quickly, the confidence went low, and you can’t blame the players when I change something and they punish you. We struggled to control the midfield and the opponent got that momentum, but nonetheless, we scored a goal, and we came back into the game. With the ball, I thought we were good, but out of possession, it was difficult today due to my decision in the first-half.
We had a big chance with Vakoun Bayo to equalise just before half-time, but in the second-half, I was pleased because we changed and it worked out. We were powerful when we came back from the changing room, and we made it 2-2. Again, we had big chances with Bayo - the header - and Matheus Martins. The opponent was really clinical and they got the chance and punished us. The opponent was ruthless in every situation. We showed a lot of energy to get back into the game, but I made the wrong call in the first-half so it was my decision. When you make a change and it works out, the manager has made a great decision, but today it was not a good decision.
On defensive frailties:
When you make a mistake and you concede goals, you don’t get that confidence. It’s a process we need to go through and it’s clear we are conceding too many goals. It’s a good thing that we are creating a lot of chances and scoring goals, but we need to find the right balance. I think that we still have the quality to win games. The good thing is that the next game is around the corner.
On the change in tactics:
It was nothing on the players, my job is to make the decisions. When it works, it’s fine and when it doesn’t, I have to take responsibility. In the first-half it was my responsibility that it didn’t work out as expected. Today it is an easy one to analyse, especially in the first-half. I noticed after 10 minutes we didn’t have control. After half-an-hour, we had better control of the game, but the damage was already done with the two goals.
It was all about coming back step-by-step. We got the first goal so we knew we would get a second chance and after that, we used half-time to change it tactically, and I was pleased with the performance because we started well. We pinned the opponent into the last third and created chances, but we were coming from behind and it’s a lot of energy to come back into the game.
On the upcoming games at Sunderland & Cardiff:
There is pressure, nothing wrong with that. Every away game is tough, but it’s always the same in the Championship. The games come quickly. When you win games you have the momentum, it feels easier and you enjoy the next game. When you don’t win, the confidence isn’t that high and the next game is difficult. In the Championship anyone can beat anyone. We know we have to focus, analyse the situation and prepare for the next game. Our next goal is to get that winning feeling back. We will keep working and keep focused. We know what we have to do.
