Slavisa Jokanovic says Almen Abdi didn’t start against Brentford last night as he needed a “midfield guarantee” on Watford’s substitutes’ bench.

The 28-year-old returned to action after a month out with a hamstring injury on Saturday against Blackburn Rovers but wasn’t included in the starting XI against the Bees last night.

Jokanovic tweaked his formation to accommodate Fernando Forestieri in his side. The Hornets head coach played a 4-3-1-2 system and explained his tactical decisions after the game.

He said: “I decided to start with Fernando and have Abdi on the bench. If I had started with Abdi then I wouldn’t have any midfielders on the bench.

“I decided to have three strikers but one more defensive, so I had the option of Abdi during the game.

“If I started him then I wouldn’t have had a midfield guarantee on the bench. In my opinion he was a little bit too far forward when he came on. I wanted him deeper to help the strikers.

“But with Abdi my team played a little bit more football and had more control in the game. I expect he will recuperate and improve in the next match.”

The victory over Brentford moved Watford up to fifth in the Championship table. The Hornets have won eight of their last 11 games and Jokanovic puts that down to an improved team spirit amongst his players.

He said: “We are starting to believe in our possibilities. We didn’t start very well today but my team have started to believe in each other. My team have started to believe that if they play all together than that is the best way for us.

“When we do that, it is the right way. When we start hitting long balls after two passes that is the wrong way, it is not football.”