LOSING THE PLOT
Benitez’s men left exposed again as Watford cruise to victory
THEY say that a relegation clause is one of the sticking points in the proposed takeover of Newcastle. On this evidence, you can see why.
No potential buyer would dare take on such a sizeable investment without insuring themselves against this team dropping out of the Premier League.
Rafa Benitez has seen his side lose four on the spin, and in doing so they look like they have lost the plot. Everything they stood for during a solid start to the season – discipline, organisation, work-ethic and enthusiasm – has gone. It has unravelled at an alarming rate.
Alan Shearer described the performance as a ‘horror show’ and said it could have been 6-0. That was a conservative estimate.
Watford, it must be said, were brilliant. They identified a weakness in their opponents – namely, right-back DeAndre Yedlin – and attacked the American time and time again. And then they attacked him some more. It yielded three goals. Hornets boss Marco Silva is a shrewd tactician coveted by managerless Everton, but this was hardly the execution of a masterplan – it was easy.
‘We deserved the three points,’ said the Portuguese. ‘We switched the play fast and created chances down the opposite side. It is a pleasure for us when you prepare something and it helps you win.’
Watford remain in eighth but are just three points off fourth. If they are looking up then Newcastle are l ooking down, four points the margin between them and the bottom three.
Benitez said: ‘We are a team that has to work very hard to get results. We knew this could happen, we knew we could lose some games and we have t o analyse a f ew things and see why things are not going so well. But we knew it would be hard, we are a team that will have to work extremely hard right up until the end of the season.’ It was said that the Magpies were shopping in the bargain bucket this summer when they paid Stoke £ 5million f or Spanish striker Joselu. That, though, is starting to look like too much. He should have ended his five- game barren run inside three minutes when Jacob Murphy pulled back from the left. The result was a fresh-air kick from six yards.
Watford duly took the lead on 19 minutes. Yedlin is a product of the modern game – an athlete first, footballer second – and his defensive know-how was exposed here. He was nowhere to be seen as Marvin Zeegelaar scampered free down Watford’s left and drew back for Will Hughes to convert.
It was a devastating break and the visitors were more than happy to play to their strength – pace and precision on the counter.
There was no shock in the source of their second goal – a break down the left – and it was the hapless Yedlin who deflected past Rob Elliot from Zeegelaar’s centre.
On 62 minutes Watford had their third. The ball was switched to the left – again – and, with Yedlin out of position – again – Richarlison dropped a cross to the far post where Andre Gray poked home.
Easy. Game over. In fairness, it had been for a long time.