Valérien Ismaël spoke to the media following Watford’s 1-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday at Vicarage Road.
Covering a range of topics, including a crucial victory and the importance of patience, read what the Head Coach had to say below…
On the game as a whole:
It was a difficult game for many reasons, but you need to understand the context of the game. The first one is a lack of confidence, because when you are not winning for a long period of time doubt can creep in. It’s our job as the staff to keep the positivity within the side and to work hard, which is something we worked on throughout the international break. The second thing was that the opponent changed their manager, so when you prepare for the game you are flying in blind. We have some knowledge of international football and we know that German managers have a way of playing, so actually we were well prepared. But then the manager changed eight players, so Sheffield Wednesday had a new energy on the pitch.
It’s difficult to deal with all of that at the minute when you don’t have confidence. You don’t want to lose the ball, and if you make one mistake or two mistakes it makes everyone unhappy. I get that, I understand, but I think for us, we’ve got all of the squad available. When you saw our bench today, it gave us the chance to have an impact on the game and to change the game when we needed more quality, and I think today that’s exactly what happened. I am pleased for the players, the fans and everyone at the club. It’s a difficult period at the minute, but it’s a moment we can change at any time. When you start to win games and get that confidence back, the performance will be much easier.
On the need for patience:
I understand our fans, as I said from the beginning, they’ve always got the right feeling. I think the performance was not right in the first-half so I understand [the frustration], I get it. We are Watford, and our expectation is higher. But, as I say, I want to explain that we are in a situation with the players.
At the minute our team needs a lot of love and a lot of confidence. Some days they need a kick up the backside, but at the minute we need to stick together to be patient. You see in the second-half how our attack bounced back straight away because they supported us. We got the breakthrough and the feeling was there straight away.
I said to the guys at half-time that the fans are with them, but you need to change the attitude on the pitch and then you will see them react. We decide what’s going on and they will react to our performance, and everyone wants the best for Watford. I am just pleased that we won, and the fans can be happy tonight.
On the substitutes:
The bench won the game because we’ve got that quality. It’s easier when you see that you’ve got that quality on the bench. It makes me calmer on the sideline because at any time I can react and change the things I want and put pressure on the players that are starting the game. They have to perform now as their teammates deserve to play.
We’ve got that quality and when you come in you need to help the team. This is what we wanted to create during the restart at the club – we wanted to change that mentality. We are a team now. We are coming with more team spirit and teamwork. Everyone is important, everyone gets the chance to have an impact and to help each other. I think today was the perfect example.
On Yáser Asprilla and young players:
As a young player, they need consistency. Asprilla has started a lot of games and at Cardiff City he was not good. He came off the bench today and he was brilliant. You know that he’s got the quality.
We have to work with him, but at some point we need consistency at a high level. If young players get that, then they will start to produce goals and assists. The club has made the decision to count on young players with big potential - Ismaël Koné, Matheus Martins, Yáser Asprilla, Mileta Rajović, Imrân Louza - all talented players, but now the spotlight is on them, so they are not hiding anymore. We need to develop the players and give them time.
On Jake Livermore:
He’s a leader and this is what we need in such a situation. I think at Cardiff he played very well and he took responsibility in a difficult away game after losing three on the bounce. It just gives us the stability, the confidence, he’s a positive guy and I think this is exactly why we took him here.
It is important to have a strong number six. It was the reason why Sierralta played that position because he has the profile. We know he’s more of a centre-back, but he helps us a lot and this is Jake’s position in midfield. Now he’s 100 per cent fit and is ready to go again.
