Those of us at Carrow Road on Saturday, watching the players out on their feet at the final whistle after repelling the inevitably-launched kitchen sink from Everton, were at least glad of one thing. At least Watford have to play again before we play them so they’ll be even more knackered than us.
So, inevitably in this season where once again Dame Fortune has her stiletto firmly plonked on our testicles, it came to pass that COVID once again got in the way of the slightest positive we might take.
So to Friday, and a trip to a rested and ready Watford side freshly buoyed by three new signings who all made their debuts at the weekend and will have had their first full week of training now under their belts. Oh to be able to make signings.
Claudio Ranieri, ever the tinkerer, has yet to settle upon a tried and trusted formation since he took over the reins at Watford in November. While he has switched between 4-1-4-1, 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 at times in a bid to find the right formula for a Watford side struggling for form, he has gone with 4-3-3 for the last two games, and you would think with the three new players all starting last time out against Newcastle, he may go with that again to give them some stability.
In goal YouTube’s Ben Foster™ started the last game, but until then promising Austrian Daniel Bachmann had been the starter.
At right-back, Ranieri has vacillated between popular Spaniard Kiko Femenia and youngster Jeremy Ngakia and neither has yet emerged as the clear favourite. As Femenia replaced Ngakia as a sub against Newcastle he may have the edge on starting here.
At left-back, new signing Hassane Kamara started against the Magpies, so you’d expect him to get another shot here. The Ivory Coast international who joined from Nice appears to be a replacement for Danny Rose who has seemingly burned his bridges with the Hornets. Another option would be Adam Masina, who has been in poor form.
At centre back, the one constant this season has been Craig Cathcart who was joined last match by Brazilian international Samir for his debut after signing from Udinese. You would expect those two to start again, although William Troost-Ekong and Francisco Sierralta have also started in recent weeks as Ranieri searched for a consistent partner for Cathcart.
The three-man midfield deployed against Newcastle consisted of 34-year-old Slovakian workhorse Juraj Kucka, former Tottenham and Newcastle drifting ball-carrier Moussa Sissoko and the last new signing, left-footed box-to-box player Edo Kayembe.
Ranieri has mixed and matched his midfielders on a game-by-game basis though, so don’t discount the likelihood of Moroccan Imran Louza being deployed in a defensive role shielding the back four, or club captain Tom Cleverley showing up just so the commentators can lazily remind us he used to play for Man United and England in the dim and distant. Turkish loanee Ozan Tufan is one who has also had a few recent starts.
The forward areas have been no less of a revolving door under Ranieri with the sometimes-passable-if-he’s-in-the-mood Josh King splitting time with prodigiously talented Brazilian Joao Pedro, big Swedish lump Ken Sema, the bizarrely-signed Championship journeyman Ashley Fletcher, and Colombian wideman Cucho Hernandez.
Nigerian Emmanuel Dennis, who has been one of the stars of the season, has been struggling with injury and at last count was unlikely to be fit, and much-coveted wideman Ismaila Sarr is at the African Cup of Nations.
Put simply, we really don’t know what side we’ll be facing come Friday night.
Ranieri’s penchant for throwing names against the team sheet and seeing who sticks makes predicting the starting eleven a lottery. With all their best players fit and in the team at the same time, they can be a force to be reckoned with. They do have a lot of influential players in their early to mid-thirties, (although the recent signings have perhaps gone some way to lowering the average age) so there is experience to lean on.
With Sarr and Dennis unlikely to play, the chief threat comes from Joao Pedro who on his day, can frighten the best defences in the Premier League.
As for Norwich, we now know that Tim Krul is out with shoulder ligament damage, with as yet no timescale on his return, so Angus Gunn will don the gloves and hope he has more joy than he did against Arsenal and Crystal Palace over the Christmas programme. Max Aarons and Brandon Williams seem likely to be able to return and Kenny McLean’s COVID return comes in time for him to point the way to victory.
The 4-4-2/4-2-4 that we’ve used in the last two games could obviously be reprised due to its success against Everton. Given that we’re playing against a team with no base formation to plan against it may well prove the sensible option. The obvious concern is that it could leave us outmanned in the middle of the park if Watford were to play three in there, but In Dean We Trust.
I’m bizarrely more confident than usual going to Vicarage Road. It’s been an absolute bonfire of disappointment for us in recent times, but Watford are not in the best of form and are struggling to find their identity under Ranieri. Norwich have experienced their first blip of improvement for weeks and are on a temporary high.
Can we sneak a win? It’s entirely possible. Will we? That’s another question entirely.
This is the thing isn’t, this has got the hall marks of a Along Come Norwich. Riding high after Everton, a potential must win, seemed like we’ve turned a corner, Watford have a few of their good players away.. but we never seem to beat them… the one ACN reverse is we’re good at getting managers sacked. So if we do win, then Raneiri might get the triggered pulled on him.
Its a sliver of hope but I can see us forgetting to turn up. Like we seem to when it’s an “important” game.
Masina, louaza, Troost-Ekong are all at afcon. Sarr isn’t but is injured
I’m struggling to share your optimism. With Angus is in goal it’s a case of If it’s on target, it’s in.
I just hope it’s not the usual men against boys game that has become common when we play Watford. I think DS has installed more of a fighting spirit in most games, but I think we lack the physicality to compete with teams packed with big, strong blokes.
I can’t be alone in feeling anxious about Krul being out. Can’t see us keeping a clean sheet as a result, so it will be a question of whether we can score more than Watford…
You’re not alone, Martin – this news has a horrible ring to it and at the worst possible time. I felt for Angus against Arsenal and Palace as he just didn’t look the same keeper who was here on loan. And there’s no way he can have the gravitas or the command of the back-four that Krul does.
Here’s to a clean sheet now on Friday!
Hi Martin
Reminds me all too poignantly of the time Gunny Snr got injured at the City Ground (his ankle as opposed to his shoulder) and we all know what happened way back then. Unlike Andy Marshall, Gunn Jnr can at least take a dead ball kick but his confidence cannot be too high. When he *dives* he goes down like a sack of spuds which doesn’t endear him to me.
The Everton guy made a back for Krul and it looked really nasty at the time to me – I’m right behind the goal at the Barclay end. Let’s hope it’s not as bad as it looked to me.
Will tomorrow be viewed through rose tinted glasses as in Gunny Jr must have a chance to turn up in one game or could we see DS go 3 CB to give him more cover.
Watford and Tinkerman are recruiting like mad is that a good thing with his reputation let’s hope that Foster has a bad day city to draw this one
Can‘t see us winning two on the trot, the Gods will not allow that. A draw? Maybe. Lose? Probably.
Last week ,young Martin got me to predict a score , I went my heart 1-1, and my head 1-2. Seeing as I got both wrong I’m prepared to repeat my prediction .
Repeat last Saturdays passion and it Will be 12 city no McLean thank you 😃
The xG prevented stats back up the concern over Gunn with his -0.87 compared to Krul’s -0.06 xG prevented per 90, albeit with only 2 games played. It’s already obvious from just watching but this really does fill me up with dread. The only plus side is that DS knows he’ll be between the sticks tomorrow, surely they’ve been working on it at Colney.
V.pleased we won’t be facing Sarr who was quite brilliant against us last season and that finally Lungi has been given a chance to prove himself.
Concerned though that Watford outmuscled us especially in midfield with bigger,stronger players in the last few games against us.I’ll be watching that area of the pitch with clenched buttocks.
It really is a must-not-lose game .
Good luck to City.
#OTBC