Gracia could face axe as Watford stay pointless
By Kieran Gill Striker earns brace but skipper stars
WATFORD are considering manager Javi Gracia’s future as they suffered a third consecutive Premier League defeat.
The Spaniard, 49, is feeling the heat after seeing his side crash to a 3-1 defeat at home by West Ham.
Watford are bottom of the table and have lost seven successive matches in all competitions for the first time in two decades.
Asked if he was fearing for his future, Gracia said: ‘It is true. What can I say? The dynamic is not good and we need to improve. I know that.
‘I’m preparing for the next game. If we win or lose, I focus on the next game.’
Gracia signed a new four-and-a-half year deal last November and guided Watford to the FA Cup final when they were crushed 6-0 by Manchester City.
WEST HAM’S £45million striker Sebastien Hall er opened his account for the club, but it was fitting that the man who got them going was Mark Noble.
Fifteen years to the day since making his claret and blue debut, the midfielder marked the anniversary with a coolly dispatched penalty.
Club-record signing Haller followed that up with a second-half brace, condemning Watford to their third consecutive defeat of 2019-20. The only bonus is they at least scored this time.
Javi Gracia’s side went into this game as the only Premier League club without a point or a goal. They tried to rectify that here, attempting 23 shots in all. The trouble is, only three of those were on target. At this rate, you would not bet against League One Coventry City causing an upset in the League Cup on Tuesday.
This was West Ham’s first win of the season. They were awarded a penalty after 58 seconds, and did anyone doubt that Noble would bury it? It was in the script.
In the end, it was his name that the away supporters were singing. Rightly so, too. Noble may not be to everyone’s cup of tea, but he is Mr West Ham is every sense.
Manuel Pellegrini, his manager, said: ‘He is the captain and one of the players who is always thinking and reflecting the desire to grow this club and he has everyone behind him.’
Entertainment had been in short supply for those who follow Watford, but the start to this game was anything but boring. They attacked, then West Ham were awarded their spot- kick. Manuel Lanzini went down under a challenge from Abdoulaye Doucoure. Referee Chris Kavanagh pointed to the spot, and VAR confirmed i t was as clumsy as it first looked.
Noble stepped up and sent Ben Foster the wrong way. Only Alan Shearer, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard have put away more penalties in the Premier League than his 25.
Watford went in search of an equaliser, and Gerard Deulofeu should have done better after a through-ball by Andre Gray. With time to pick his spot, he chose the crossbar. Deulofeu had a second chance moments later. This time, he took too long and Issa Diop, the man admired by Manchester United, got back to make a sliding block. The home support was not happy with that, though they were soon celebrating the leveller.
Gray was hanging on the shoulder of Arthur Masuaku, and the ball was slipped through by Will Hughes. On the turn, he slammed his shot beyond Lukasz Fabianski.
After a manic 17 minutes, the match mellowed. West Ham came closest to retaking the lead before the break. From a corner, Felipe Anderson sent a header crashing against the woodwork, and the rebound slipped just out of Andriy Yarmolenko’s reach.
Following the restart, the game seemed in a lull. It required something spectacular to wake it up, and Yarmolenko tested Foster from 30 yards. No luck.
In the 55th minute, Watford were left wondering how they were not ahead. Gray had rounded Fabianski, though the angle was too tight for him to score himself.
He squared the ball into the sixyard box, where Hughes was making a late dash. One yard out, he skied his shot over. It left heads in hands. Pellegrini knew he had to make a change, and Michail Antonio was introduced. The winger likes facing Watford. He had scored six league goals against the Hornets — more than he has against any other club in his career.
He had an immediate impact, and the visitors retook the lead in the 64th minute. Anderson did well to dance himself into space to the left of the box, and Watford’s Craig Cathcart backtracked instead of closing him down. The Brazilian fed the ball into Haller, who tapped home. Antonio then looked to dispatch a diving header, and Foster diverted his attempt wide. West Ham wanted to wrap this game up, and they did so from the subsequent corner.
The cross was swung in, Antonio forced Foster into another save, but this time Haller was there to finish the rebound with an acrobatic overhead kick. So Watford lose again — and that pre-season talk of a push for a European place is starting to look silly now.
WATFORD (4-2-2-2): Foster 5; Femenia 5, Dawson 4.5, Cathcart 4.5, Holebas 5; Doucoure 5, Capoue 5; Hughes 4.5 (Sarr 74min, 6), Cleverley 4 (Quina 86); Gray 5.5, Deulofeu 4.5 (Welbeck 74, 6). Subs (not used): Gomes, Janmaat, Chalobah, Kabasele. WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Fabianski 6.5; Fredericks 6, Ogbonna 7, Diop 7, Masuaku 6; Noble 7.5, Rice 7; Yarmolenko 7 (Antonio 55, 7), Lanzini 7 (Sanchez 88), Anderson 7.5 (Fornals 78); Haller 8. Subs (not used): Roberto, Balbuena, Zabaleta, Ajeti. Referee: C Kavanagh (Lancashire) 6.