We’ve got to go and deliver again
Quique Sánchez Flores started his second spell as Watford manager in September following the sacking of Javier Gracia after a difficult start to the season.
Flores had been in charge of Watford for the 2015/16 season, their first back in the Premier League, when he replaced the sacked Slavisa Jokanovic. Flores himself was replaced a year later by Walter Mazzarri.
He’s seen his side move off the bottom of the league with a win at Norwich in their last game, their first win of the season. He’s done that by tightening up a defence which has now kept three clean sheets in the last five games although he is aware that they will also need to show more attacking potential.
“It’s not enough to play and think just in a defensive way,” he said. “When we came the team were conceding too many time and it is difficult to score two or three goals all the time to win a game. To not concede and have a good base is good, but I like to create a balance between defence and attack.
“We are trying to train both, working hard to feel confident in passes, making good decisions and finalise play in the final third. We need to relax and not take bad decisions. We are all working on these things. It’s a hard process, a long process, but little by little we are enjoying little things we are doing in training.”
He definitely has a style of play and a system he would like to play. “Everyone knows in football my favourite system is 4-4-2,” he added. “We need to do that (play five defenders) in games because I felt this is the solution to avoid risk in defence. We try to create good feelings by not conceding goals. Little by little we are getting results.
“We try to progress with the system and this is possible. We are far from perfect but at the back of mind my favourite system is 4-4-2 and we have amazing players for that. We need to recuperate more confidence if we play this kind of system.”
Looking forward to tomorrow, he said of Burnley: “They are a very good team, the kind of team which is a good example for all of us. They have been together for a long time. They are really tough, have two strong strikers and defend well like a group. We have confidence in our system, in our players and how we can play. I hope we can do it.”
“Generally, the people who have watched us a lot this season think we have generally delivered good performances. We’ve had a couple of blips, but that can happen and we’ve got a healthy points return so far. I’ve been pretty pleased and it’s got to continue at Watford.
“I know they have had a mixed bag of results, but they got the win against Norwich and a good win at that. They are still a good side with good players and we can’t, nor will, take anyone lightly. I see a good group of players. I thought we were a good group of players last season and didn’t get off to a good start. Sometimes it happens.
“It’s certainly another game we’ll have to be on the top of our performance, we know that. Only at Sheffield United and the second half against Brighton are the two times we’ve really come off a performance this season. We bounced out of a tough performance (at Sheffield United) into a good one against West Ham and delivered a very good victory. Now we have to look to do that again. It was an important result against West Ham and that takes you into the break with a nice taste in the mouth.
“We’ve trained well since and looked really sharp this week, so we look forward to the challenge. We’ve got to go and deliver again, but there’s good evidence to suggest we will be ready to deliver a good performance.
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