Full backs...We need full backs!!

Quite a large percentage of Watford supporters over the last couple of years have been banging on about making central defenders and strikers a priority in the transfer market. When I watch us play, I see our glaring weakness is the wide areas in our defence. I’m confident stats will show, we allow the most crosses to come into our penalty area from wide positions.
We have six full backs of which only one is half decent and he’s definitely in the twilight of his career. I’m talking about our lovable grumpy chops but even he ain’t brilliant at defending! Of what I saw of Masina last year, I wasn’t blown away, up against good opposition, he was totally out of his depth. Zeegelaar is still on our books but apart from the away win up at Newcastle two years ago, he hasn’t impressed and is certainly not premier league standard. Femenia & Janmaat are both the same, in that they are a threat going forward but can’t defend for toffee and I can’t really comment on Navarro because he never gets a look in but if he can’t get in front of Kiko & Janmaat in the pecking order, he can’t be all that.
So there you have it, we have six bang average full backs, at best and we’ll continue conceding unnecessary goals in this league until we upgrade. The majority of teams last season played expansive wide football, targeting our weak wide areas and it will be no different this term.

 

New team. New badge. New stadium

 

Mapps can play right back, problem solved

 

Whilst I agree, you have a point, we cannot afford to do everything in one window. Attack and central defence require a revamp more urgently, and this is where the money has to be spent.

Once this has been satisfactorily been achieved, then yes, full backs would probably be the next area to look at as to where we need to improve. But that's for another transfer window.

 

MK Horns.

 

Foulquier.

 

I am not sure the Head Coach is not on the Gino upgrade list

 

What you need is spaces between your paragraphs

 

As opposed to space between the ears.....

 

Especially after that pathetic second half showing against Ajax.

 

The area where we actually have the most strength in depth I'd say.

 

You need to take your head from out your arse, pal

 

This is my argument, we have depth in these positions but not the quality

 

Ive personalised this approach but by now supporting Man City.

Problem solved. Boom. Come on the sky blues!

 

Agreed about post though.

Massina is poor defending and attacking.

Kiko has gone from promising to a Spanish Neat n Tidy. Great technique but poor crossing and virtually no assists or goals. He is also p1ss weak at defending.

I think Holebas and Jan Maat are decent full backs though.

 

No he can’t. He is dreadful at full back

 

And then Gino can upgrade himself.

 

Will we find light blue flags on the seats at the Brighton match?

 

But it's warm in here

 

For some years, now, Watford have played a defensive system whereby they seem to concede the wing positions to the opposition and defend in depth against the inevitable crosses. It scares me every time I witness it. Is this deliberate or is it the result of poor full-back play? It surely requires a lot of concentration and organisation. Your opinions would be welcome. And, if it is deliberate, it would explain a concentration on acquiring good (and big) centre-backs, (should this ever happen).
Possibly, part of the deliberation might be that we can afford players who can play at wing-back, but players who can do both this and defend properly are far and few between (especially, it would seem, English ones). This makes them very expensive. Transfer fees, anyway, appear to be even further into orbit than ever; (£ 90 million pounds for Maguire?!)
I'm not convinced that all our backs are poor at attacking play, by the way (Massina probably is). But their effectiveness would probably be enhanced by centre forwards who can either get across defenders for the crosses or who can simply out-jump defenders. We have Gray for the former, but that's it.
If we consider we have good out-and-out wingers in Deloufeu and Pereyra, well OK, use them - but they really, really, really can't defend.

 

Shame the owners didn’t read this thread when the transfer window was well and truly open

 

Good call

 

Bet they did read it. And just thought ‘f*ck it, let’s stick with what we have for another year’.

 

What about Sarr at left back, at least he has pace

 

WE NEED A GOALSCORER

 

A sort of vulpine in the penalty area?

 

Vydra ?

 

We need a bigger boat

 

I actually think Janmaat is fine and although Holebas was arguably our best player last season he is 35 and may need to be rotated at least.

 

I think our current fullbacks are good enough for us to beat enough of the poorer teams and ultimately stay up with our forward line on top.

I think that's all the owners hope for to be honest.

 

Right back to West Brom, preferably! (Badum tish)

 

Except clearly they're not though; the way Holebas has been performing lately it's been like defending with 10 men. Femenia goes missing half the time as well when required.

Conceding typically 2 goals per match puts too much of a burden on our forward line to be able to win games.

 

Badum Tish got a couple of caps for Albania, didn't he? Might be good enough for us.

 

Almen Abdi is available.