We have to keep going with the same spirit...
league games – and not a single away win so far. Boss Ranieri, however, refuses to panic.
“It’s not about lack of confidence,” he insisted. “It’s just we’re in a period that shows how big last season was. But this is 2016-17. We have to keep going with the same spirit but stay stronger and concentrate from the start.
“Watford scored fantastic goals, they have very good quality players. But we also had a fantastic reaction and tried to do our best until the end. I’m still very pleased with our performance.”
Watford boss Walter Mazzarri had every reason to be content, however.
His team were 2- 0 up inside 12 minutes and defended superbly as Leicester battled to try and find a way back.
And all this having just lost 6-1 at Liverpool before the international break.
“We managed to forget about Liverpool and I’m very happy with the result,” he said. “We played the football that I like my team to play and this time we were good enough to score.”
The Italian also had a word of praise for man-ofthe-match Pereyra, saying: “The way Roberto played, not just the goal he scored, he ran the whole game.”
The problem for Ranieri is that his players are not reaching those kind of levels. Striker Jamie Vardy, who broke his drought for England in midweek, hasn’t been on the scoresheet since mid-September for his club.
Compare that to midNovember 2015 – when he struck against Newcastle to equal Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record of finding the net in 10 consecutive Premier League games. One year on he can’t buy a goal.
He did win Leicester a penalty at Vicarage Road, converted by Mahrez, who has also been suffering from a championship hangover.
But too many other Leicester men couldn’t find the heights of last year.
Danny Drinkwat er couldn’t hit the kind of final ball he played so often in the past – and Daniel Amartey is yet to get anywhere near emulating N’Golo Kante.
The defence looks nervous, too, and Leicester were behind in a flash thanks to a supe rb l y wor k ed Watford goal.
Troy Deeney began the move by spreading the ball left and then racing into the box to flick on Pereyra’s cross. It was finished in style by Capoue, who volleyed into the ground and into the left-hand corner.
By the 12th minute it was 2-0 – Pereyra cutting inside to curl a stunning 20-yard effort into the top corner.
Vardy won a penalty when caught by Miguel Britos, but even Mahrez’s fierce spotkick couldn’t save them.
Watford missed chances to wrap up the match – Pereyra’s close-range header was superbly saved by RonRobert Zieler – but they defended superbly to hold off a late rally.