Honeymoon? More like full moon with wolves at the door!
RANIERI HAS HAD BAPTISM OF FIRE... AND IT’S ABOUT TO GET EVEN WORSE
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0 1BY MIKE WALTERS
POOR old Claudio Ranieri didn’t get a honeymoon period – not even a cabin in the woods.
And if he thinks that light at the end of the tunnel hurtling towards him is not an express train, the Tinkerman is a blinkered man.
Watford captain Moussa Sissoko conducted an honest autopsy on a “painful” defeat and promised they would rise to the challenge of the next month.
But the Hornets’ next five games are against Arsenal, Manchester United, Leicester, Chelsea, and Manchester City.
Never mind honeymoons or the bridal suite. At 70, Ranieri is going to need relationship counselling if those games go with the formbook.
Southampton deserved their first away win since March. They were more incisive, disciplined, sharper – and they should steer clear of the rapids. Che Adams’ winner was a stunning finish, and in this form he can book his seat on the plane home from Qatar in December next year – after Scotland get knocked out of the World Cup in the group stage as usual.
Adams cannot be accused of being prolific after scoring 15 goals in 86 appearances for Southampton, but when he does locate the bullseye they are often works of art – pure Da Vinci code.
But this 90 minutes said more about Watford, who have now gone 20 games without a clean sheet in the top flight.
If you want clean sheets, go to a hotel laundry or Brentford Nylons – don’t ring the Hornets.
They managed 14 shut-outs at home in the Championship last season, leaking only 12 goals but, back in the penthouse, they have already shipped 11 in five games at Vicarage Road.
In a gruelling start for Ranieri, this looked his likeliest source of points. But for 45 minutes, Watford summoned less passion than a hen night in a convent.
Sissoko (left) admitted: “We are very disappointed because we wanted to keep the momentum of winning at Everton, and wanted to win in front of our fans because we were so poor in our last home game against Liverpool.
“When you play anyone in the Premier League, you have to be focused and switched-on from the first minute and we didn’t do that.
“It’s painful, but we have to keep going and learn from our mistakes.
“I think it’s important to work on that side of the game because we have the capacity to score with our quality at the front. We need to find that balance, but we have a new manager and it is not easy for him to assimilate what he wants straight away.
“We need to keep working, don’t give up and we will enjoy some better results in the future.
“The next games will be difficult, but also exciting because you accept the challenge. You dream of playing in these games, against the best in the world, so why fear them?”