HORNETS BOSS STEALS SHOW
WHATEVER Watford do this season under Walter Mazzarri you can guarantee one thing – it won’t be dull.
The 54- year- old Italian introduced himself to the Premier League yesterday as a walking, bouncing bundle of energy.
And if Antonio Conte showed during Euro 2016 that he will bring life and colour to English football then his compatriot Mazzarri, former boss of Sampdoria, Napoli and Inter Milan, is going to match him.
Mazzarri was already prowling around his technical area when Etienne Capoue put his team in front after nine minutes – and still going at it in the second half once Nathan Redmond had equalised.
He even tore off his jacket to go through the full routine of expressions and gestures, imploring his team to hang on to their point when down to 10 men for the final 15 minutes after Ben Watson was sent off.
“Maybe I have more energy than my players,” said Mazzarri with a laugh.
“The reason I am like that is because I have had only one month working with them and I am trying to get my ideas across. I’m very happy because while we had 100 per cent energy we played the way I like them to.” Mazzarri is taking intensive English lessons – he did his after-match press conference through an interpreter – and is clearly loving his new job.
“I am improving, but I want to make sure I am properly understood,” he said.
Mazzarri has already won one key battle by holding on to skipper Troy Deeney. Watford turned down £25million from champions Leicester for him.
And Deeney, whose 11 assists last season was beaten by only six other Premier League players, showed why by climbing superbly to meet Nordin Amrabat’s cross and guiding it into the path of Capoue’s late run.
Saints, who had started well forcing Heurelho Gomes into a brilliant double save, were stunned and struggled to respond.
But Redmond stepped up after half time, forcing Gomes into a brilliant fingertip save before striking home a crisp left-foot volley when Watford’s keeper flapped at a corner.
From then on it was one-way traffic, even before Watford were reduced to 10 men when substitute Watson, beaten for pace by Shane Long, hauled down the Republic of Ireland star.
The offence was 30 yards out but referee Roger East rightly punished his cynicism – and also correctly ruled out for offside what Redmond thought was a late winner.
Saints also have a Premier League rookie as a boss, but Frenchman Claude Puel showed he can make a difference with a stirring half-time talk.
“We needed the players to ask for the ball and give a solution to the man with the ball,” he said.
“We don’t have the physique of other teams but we have quality and we have to show that on the pitch.”