WAT A DAY FOR US TO GET LUCKY SAYS MOOY
Pereyra is jawesome once again
AARON MOOY has told Huddersfield it is time to get lucky – and bring back happy memories of facing Watford.
David Wagner’s Terriers have not won any of their 14 competitive games since a crucial victory over the Hornets back in April and already look set for a hard winter.
Tom Ince’s last-minute winner against Watford played a key role in keeping Huddersfield in the Premier League last season, but they are next to bottom of the table as they head to Vicarage Road today.
Wagner’s side have managed four goals from 89 shots in the Premier League this season and he claimed after last Saturday’s 1-0 defeat by Liverpool that they have had no luck.
Mooy (above) agrees – and hopes their fortunes will change today on a ground where they won 4-1 last December.
The Australia midfielder said: “We haven’t had much luck this season yet. We are definitely due some.
“In the past three games, we’ve played really well, but we just haven’t taken our chances. That’s the little bit that’s missing and we’re all working hard to correct it.
“Last year’s games against Watford were good for us. I hope we can do it again, put in a good performance and score goals.”
Mooy admits it has been tough keeping spirits up during a run that has brought Huddersfield just three points from their nine league games.
But he is adamant that performances have been better than results suggest – pointing to the way his team made life tough for Liverpool.
“If we keep playing well the results should come,” he said. “But I’m sure everyone will take a terrible performance and a win.” ROBERTO PEREYRA is the winger whose goal celebrations have decorated Watford’s fine start with shark and awe.
As homage to his threeyear-old son Maxi junior, the Hornets’ top scorer adopted the ‘Baby Shark’ – from a children’s song which went viral – whenever he hit the target.
The Pinkfong chorus, which has attracted 1.8billion hits on YouTube, inspired Pereyra’s distinctive routine and his collection of four spectacular goals this season.
They include a thunderous volley on the opening day against Brighton, an eye-of-theneedle finish against Crystal Palace, and an absolute rascal, off the outside of his left foot, at Wolves last week.
The Argentina international’s resurgent career, however, still bears a scar that runs deep. At 20, Pereyra suffered relegation at River Plate – one of the biggest fish in South American football – after a traumatic play-off against Belgrano, dropping into the second tier for the first time in the club’s 110-year history.
During the 2-0 first-leg defeat, players were threatened by their own ‘barra bravas’ ultras, and when River Plate’s fate was sealed by a 1-1 draw in the return at their Monumental fortress, tears among the players preceded tear gas to disperse pockets of rioting outside the ground. It was a far cry from Pereyra’s experience as a Serie A champion in Italy with Juventus, where he also played in the Champions League final against Barcelona in 2015. Haunted by River Plate’s relegation – the equivalent of Manchester United going down in 1975 – Pereyra resolved never to put himself through such torment again.
He said: “As a young player it was a very bad experience for me – but it made me grow up quickly.
“With regards to the supporters, in Argentina they live football in that way and now I understand better the situation we were in. At the time, maybe we were not aware how serious it was. Of course it was one of my worst days, the worst of my career.
“But it helped me to change as a player and as a person. I never want to go through that again. If I return to play in Argentina one day, I will be more mature. I have a winning mentality now. I play football to win, that helped me at Juventus because I was training to win titles.”
Switching continents and playing in Italy was the making of Pereyra. In his Champions League final appearance, his team-mates included Pirlo, Pogba and Tevez, while the victorious opponents had a front three of Messi, Neymar and Suarez.
Somehow he’s ended up at homely Vicarage Road. And in his vivid yellow tracksuit (below), with a sequinned crown motif on the chest, Pereyra – who scored his first international goal for Argentina against Iran earlier this month – is king of the Golden Boys.
He said: “The club is growing and this season has been the best since I joined Watford. I am enjoying one of the best moments of my career – I’m happier because I am free of injuries.
“I have a reputation for wearing colourful gear but this is my personality. I like to stand out on
grey days.”