OPINION

Pezzolano’s Watford takes shape – but depth issues hit hard.

After 55 minutes of Watford’s 1-1 draw with Swansea on Saturday, Egil Selvik expertly dealt with a through ball for Ronald.

It was a routine piece of goalkeeping, unremarkable in isolation, but the attack provided a ray of hope for the hosts. For the better part of an hour, they had offered almost nothing.

Watford delivered a textbook away performance, conceding four shots for an expected goal figure of 0.11. The game’s energy level changed dramatically after that.

Liam Cullen hit the post shortly after, Zan Vipotnik equalised, and the striker came closest to winning but missed a late rebound by inches. Paulo Pezzolano’s team delivered a performance of two extremes:

cruise control followed by struggle in two obvious chunks. Watford has appeared to be well prepared for all three league games under Pezzolano, both tactically and mentally.

They overcame a slow first five minutes at Charlton to dominate the middle of the game, outplayed QPR in the first half at Vicarage Road last week, and appeared to be on their way to a comfortable away victory here.

The 3-5-2 system worked well again. Max Alleyne, making his senior league debut, appeared composed, and his passing became increasingly crisp as the game progressed.

After an impressive performance, James Abankwah will rue his mistake in not attacking a ball into the box for the equaliser, and Kevin Keben appears to be an outstanding player.

Hector Kyprianou started in his third different role in three league games and looked just as at ease as the previous two, anchoring the midfield with such ease that the anticipated Imran Louza-shaped hole was barely noticeable.

More impressive than any individual – and others, such as Nestory Irankunda, deserve mention – was how focused the entire team appeared.

Too many away games have passed them by since their return to the Championship in 2022, but this group appears to be ready to impose itself. Swansea manager Alan Sheehan was impressed with their physicality and toughness.

Hector Kyprianou (Image by Alan Cozzi/Watford FC) All of this was accomplished without the assistance of Imran Louza or Giorgi Chakvetadze, and Kwadwo Baah was only used for 35 minutes.

Those three prized assets have the potential to significantly raise the level.

The next test will be to apply themselves consistently, which will shed light on where Saturday went wrong: a lack of quality depth for Pezzolano to rely on to secure the victory.

The tide had clearly turned midway through the second half, and it was obvious that changes were needed, particularly in midfield, where Edo Kayembe and Moussa Sissoko appeared to be struggling.

What’s the problem? Pezzolano later admitted that there was no obvious solution. More: Irankunda on stunning free kick: ‘If Louza had been here, I wouldn’t have taken it.’

“We didn’t have those exact characteristics on the bench,” he told me. “Sissoko and Kayembe have an impressive presence on the pitch, which is difficult to replace. “That might have come out in the second half.

“We ran out of steam.” That is not a glowing endorsement of Tom Dele-Bashiru, who was an unused substitute and was referred to as a “holding midfielder” by Pezzolano after the game, but who could provide fresh legs on Kyprianou’s right or left side.

Tom Ince, a natural fit for those positions, was left out of the squad entirely in favour of Amar Sanghrajka, a young player rated by the coaching staff but unlikely to play in such circumstances.

Rocco Vata ended up playing the final few minutes in Kayembe’s spot.

Nestory Irankunda celebrates his free kick. (Image by Alan Cozzi/Watford FC) The solution is not limited to the transfer market.

The absent Louza, Pierre Dwomoh, and Chakvetadze could have worked well as their own midfield trio, and if Mattie Pollock had been included, you would have had a squad that could have kept up its performance for 90 minutes rather than 60.

There will always be players missing, and if Ince and Dele-Bashiru are not particularly liked, it makes sense for them to be moved away in the next nine days to make room for players Pezzolano does want to use.

If a defender and a midfielder of sufficient quality arrive, as is the club’s minimum expectation before 7 p.m. on September 1, a group capable of making an impact begins to take shape.

It’s early days. Watford won their first five games last season and have often started seasons better than they finished them.

However, there is sufficient evidence that the squad has improved this summer and that Pezzolano is capable of eliciting the kind of response from them that owner Gino Pozzo hoped for when he hired him to target a promotion challenge.

Just like Swansea on Saturday, it may take a little more to achieve true success.

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