Watford’s flying starters will test United progress
Given we are only four games in to the new Premier League season, there is perhaps little surprise that there is a 100 per cent record at stake when Manchester United travel to Watford on Saturday.
The fact that it is Watford looking to make it 15 points out of 15 going into the game, while United are six points adrift of them after losing two of their first six matches, provides the shock.
Watford manager Javi Gracia has won much praise for their start – but his success does not surprise anyone in Spain.
Working on a vastly reduced budget at Malaga, cut from €150 million (Dh643.9m) in 2012 to €40m when Gracia took charge two years later, his side beat treble winners-elect Barcelona away and held Atletico and Real Madrid.
Against all expectations, Gracia led Malaga to two successive top 10 finishes. He trained Malaga hard, with his staff analysing their opponents even harder, while developing and using young players in the first team. He did that at a club where change and uncertainty was the norm.
Not only that, they did it by playing attractive football. Gracia, 47, a former midfielder who had played 430 mostly La Liga games for clubs including Real Sociedad and Villarreal, worked his players to create an indomitable spirit.
Players like him and his methodical approach – and exactly the same thing is happening at Watford.
He has strict order in the team, tight banks of four players, wingers and a high defence. His teams switch tactics during matches if required and they impressed in coming from behind to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in their last game.
Watford have played three of their first four games on home turf and that is something they have fully capitalised on.
They won all three of those and now the challenge for Mourinho and United is to avoid being their fourth victims on Saturday. A mixture of solid defence, which includes former United man Craig Cathcart, has been the rock on which Watford have built their offensive play.
Roberto Pereyra has been a revelation on the left side of midfield with three goals, while playing Troy Deeney and Andre Gray together as a central pairing has benefited both men after they struggled respectively as a sole targetman last season.
Tottenham struggled to deal with Watford’s physical threat in the closing stages of their clash earlier this month and Mourinho will be aware that it will be important his much criticised backline does not allow Deeney to gain any early momentum on Saturday.
The last time United lost at Vicarage Road was in 2016 when they were beaten 3-1. Mourinho was publicly critical of Luke Shaw that day, claiming the leftback was out of position for one of Watford’s goals.
Fast forward two years and Shaw has been United’s best player so far this season.
He is not expected to play at Watford after suffering a concussion playing for England on Tuesday against Switzerland.
But he is set to feature against Bern in Switzerland next Wednesday in United’s first Uefa Champions League group game when they take on Young Boys.
United have rebuilt some confidence since their successive defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Tottenham.
They were impressively efficient in dispatching Burnley 2-0 two weeks ago and it is important for their season prospects that they maintain that by taking three points against Watford.
United, like the other sides in Europe, are now entering a hectic period of competing across three competitions, the League Cup also coming into play with a home tie against Derby County on September 25, and managing his resources carefully is going to be a challenge.
The misfiring start to the season means Mourinho cannot afford to be too clever with Saturday’s line-up. They are already six points behind Liverpool and Chelsea, four adrift of Manchester City and three off Tottenham and can ill-afford to lose more ground to their topfour rivals.
After Watford, United have Wolverhampton Wanderers at home, West Ham United away and Newcastle United at Old Trafford before the next international break.
A good result on Saturday can start Mourinho’s push to undo the damage of those August defeats. But he will know he cannot afford to take Watford lightly to achieve that.