Okaka was insane for the time he was on, Winning every header and pass, His header showcased why he is such a dominant force in set pieces, Big Lump. Doucoure was simply class, great on the ball both dribbling and passing, was our only player running at full steam towards the latter half of the game. Special mentions for Kaboul, Holebas and Cleverly too. I used to defend Amrabat but he was shocking today. He got the ball, ran down the wing but lacked any creativity or ambition, he either passed back or got caught on the dribble and had the ball stripped from him. Richarlson put Liverpool under more threat than Amrabat did for the time he was on. We look a completely different side, still early doors however. Thank god we didnt become Bottle Jobs.
Sky saying offside for the third .... but it was actually a pullback played forward by Minolet's hand, Britos was in close attendance but not challenging for the ball until it landed at his feet in front of him Onside all day long
Aside from Gomes' two blunders, the problem player today as far as I'm concerned was Cleverley. I don't think he could have found his arse with both hands today, never mind someone else in a yellow shirt. Everything that went through him broke down. He's not a number 10. Our number 10 needs to be Pereyra or Hughes (out of the current squad).
By "Sky saying offside", I assume you mean "the two heavily biased former Liverpool defenders on Sky are saying offside", yes?
I actually thought he did pretty well. Never stopped running. He pressed and pressed. Offensively you are right he leaves a little bit to be desired, but in terms of what silva wanted from him today I think he did really well.
The ball when backwards for the third goal. Anyone saying it's offside doesn't understand the rules of the game.
The ball when backwards for the third goal. Anyone saying it's offside doesn't understand the rules of the game.
Watched this with a Liverpool mate in a quiet pub on the outskirts of Helsinki. Many Finnish blokes came to watch and support the Liverpooool. In true Watford style, I drank more and made sure when our goals went in, that I made 10 times more noise than they did. Don't know if I will go back there again but I am home now. F*ckin love this club.
Oh and I am drunk and a little more on the side of all decisions were against us but yes it was a stone cold penalty.
That's simply not suitable for the position he was playing today. To use an extreme example to illustrate a point, those traits wouldn't qualify him to be keeper because the required skills are so different. In the same way, he just hasn't go the skillset to play as our number 10. Virtually everything that went through him broke down, often through unforced error. Hopefully today is the last time we'll see him there.
Want to start by saying how damn good it feels to see some one touch passing, pace, attacking impetus and a clear plan after the horrific football last season. It was so nice to be sitting in the stands and not be bored. Thought we were excellent in parts and shocking in others but for the first game of a season, with a new manager very very promising. Gomes - Exactly what he's done all his life. Some excellent shot stopping, mixed with poor kicking and gaffes. Nothing new to see here. Janmaat - So frustrating. No point reviewing him. Kaboul - I thought he was excellent. Strong in the air, quick, some decent distribution from the back too. Britos - Was surprised to see him start, was shaky, still plays some awful passes forward but nothing glaringly bad. Got the winner so get a bye. Holebas - Done well to keep up with a very potent Salah. Good job. Femenia - Hmm, was a bit of a ghost but got forward well and tracked back well. I don't think having Amrabat in front of him done him any favours. Doccoure - Excellent, deserved MOTM. Great engine, tackling, some neat passes, one reverse pass in particular. Been our best player for months. Chalobah - Impressive second debut. Was full of energy, closing down a lot, offered a good option to the centre backs. Really happy, is only going to get better. Was pretty vocal as well, future captain? Cleverley - I thought he was bloody everywhere. Closed down everyone, great energy. Not the best ball player and against weaker teams I'd like the 3rd centre mid to be Pereyra flanked by attackers but in games against Liverpool where we have to take a more defensive approach, having Cleverley at the top of the midfield 3 could be really really useful. Thought the midfield three were the most positive thing about today. Amrabat - Wow. Jesus Christ. 1/10 is doing him justice. Did nothing right. Every attack that went down his side broke down, can't cross, can't dribble, can't beat a man, can't tackle. No football brain at all. Shambolic performance. Pereyra - Neat, done well when through on goal leaving Lovren tied up. Hope injury is not serious. Richarlison - Tough to judge. Some very nice touches and had the right intent. Definitely has the footballing brain, if he can get used to the physicality then he's going to be great. Okaka - Puts a shift in, came really deep to get the ball. Scored again, caused them problems all games. Does fade spectacularly though. Gray - Thought he looked really hungry. Done really well with the little service he had. Marco Silva - Really happy he made the early change with Gray on for Okaka, he could've been cautious about using the 3rd sub but he didn't care, chucked him on. Identity and plan is clear to see. Really looking forward to seeing how reign develops. A great day and I'll take games like that all day, you go home entertained with your moneys worth! Got to praise Trent Alexandar Arnold of Liverpool, only 18 but very composed. Looks a great signing.
Thought Gray looked a real threat . Didn't do too much in his short time in the pitch but his runs and strength on the ball were enough to show he will be a real handful. Reserving judgement until I see what his finishing is like , but looks like he will get into some great scoring opportunities on the break. As soon as he came in we were trying ball over the top to him that looked dangerous . Femenia and Richarlison had good cameos . So many positives from today's game , but for me a CB leader and organiser is our priority signing . Credit to Kaboul playing the last 15 mins with an injury too .
I know that. What I'm saying is it wasn't the worst performance in the world. Like you I don't think he is the best option we have in that position, but again I don't think you can necessarily write him off after one game.
Watford vs Liverpool Highlights Extended http://sportyhl.com/video-watford-vs-liverpool-highlights-full-match/
Couldn't disagree more. Perfect tactical performance. He won't play there against lesser sides, but did an excellent job today at disrupt and getting things alive.
I thought Kaboul and Britos were much better than expected, and the former especially had a very good game defensively. Kaboul is also our best threat at set pieces. Holebas was good until 50-60 minutes, then made some huge mistakes through a lack of concentration. Typical hot cold performance. Doucoure was very good. Chalobah was a bit weaker but wasn't poor. Gomes was slow off his line/ didn't communicate a couple of times, and it could have cost us more. Okaka was very effective in the first half and played his role effectively, but looked knackered by half time. Femenia is a good replacement for Janmaat. Richarlison looks exciting, and was a lot more physical than I thought he'd be. I see why Amrabat gets in the side tactically. He has generally good at using his body, works hard and allowed Holebas to get forward, and can settle us into the game. Generally his second halves are much worse than his firsts, and so I often want to see him substituted by the hour mark. However, he had no quality today, and disappointed me. Hughes and Richarlison to start next week. Good positive substitution (the others were forced), and we looked like we had more of a plan than under Walter. I love how we took off players through injury, and their replacements were a similar quality. Liverpool had some key players missing, but didn't look too special. Their plan was to try not to concede, and then thread the ball through to Mane and Salah - they're going to need to be better if they want to win the league. Minulet (sic) was even worse than Gomes. Liked the look of their young left back though. Overall a good point (amazing considering some of the negativity on here before the game), and a good start to the Silva era. Get Pereyra fit, Deeney back, Gray firing and a spare left back in and we will look the business.
Are you kidding? its this area and goalkeeper that needs freshening up. Otherwise we have our usual season of shipping goals.
Doucoure superb again today, had a brief quiet spell for a few minutes but otherwise brilliant and even scored. If he keeps going he'll be a £25m player by the end of the season.
Doucoure and Chalobah were excellent and seem to have built a strong partnership already. Love how quickly they move the ball between each other times and linked up with Pereyra very well. Okaka was a handful and put himself about well. Can see why Cleverley was in the middle today, as he offered lots of willing running and closed down Henderson and Can well. Would like to see Pereyra in the middle against weaker opposition as Tom isn't as good on the ball. Did his defensive job today though, which was important. Amrabat was really poor. Works hard, but slows down our attack too and offers very little in an attacking sense. Good cameos from the new signings. Deserved a point and great to see us moving the ball quickly and with purpose. Lots of positives from today. Good start.
Neither of those two were responsible for shipping any of the goals we conceded. They actually were pretty good.
Very encouraging performance generally. Ok had the usual injuries and couple of slack moments at the back which Liverpool took advantage off but thought we looked to attack with pace and the midfield pushed forward which was unheard of last season Always good to get a late goal which think we deserved. New players came on and put themselves about very willing to put in a shift. Maybe Chelsea regret selling Chalobah already!
Very good assessment all round. Lots of room for improvement (mainly defensive positioning) but we look a completely different side.
Pereyra is also a very willing worker. Happy to track back and put a tackle in. Should play every game there, form permitting, in my opinion.
If Watford will play this style against all the top sides, Richarlison should be CF, because his main quality is that he needs very few chances to score. He's not a typical winger who will pass the ball and got many assists; but he could help a lot playing as 9.
Very good performance which fills me with hope. Only downsides were the injuries. Don't think Janmaat can start. How many first half substitutions has he cost us now? Desperately hope peryra will be back after international break. Oh and Amrabat looked a real weak link in an otherwise good performance. At least he goes and goes till the end though.
Do you really think that? He was not dreadful by any stretch of the imagination. Was very, very good in fact.
I think he's definitely been brought in to play as a winger. Gray, Deeney and Okaka will be the three vying for the central striker position.
