Watford boss Slavisa Jokanovic stressed every member of his squad must be ready to make a difference as the Championship automatic promotion race intensifies with five games in 15 days.

Jokanovic knows his squad will be stretched heading into the final third of the campaign. The Serbian has previously avoided unnecessary rotation but accepts alterations to his starting XI are inevitable in the coming weeks.

Heading into tomorrow’s (Saturday) contest at Vicarage Road with fellow promotion-chasers Norwich City, who sit a place below Watford in sixth, Jokanovic stated everyone has a role to play as the battle for promotion heats up.

The head coach dropped Troy Deeney last weekend and highlighted the captain’s match-winning impact from the bench as an example to the rest of his squad.

“In a short period of time we have a lot of games and we will not depend on only 11 players,” he said.

“We need the squad and I believe the players now understand this situation. Yes, I will start with 11 players and there will be guys on the bench and in the stand this week. But then a short time later I will be obligated to use those players. I believe my team now understand that. I have more than 11 players who are prepared for the next games.”

Jokanovic suggested he would not make predetermined decisions regarding rotation for the upcoming matches, preferring to wait until the days leading up to games to assess his squad.

He said: “I am not a tennis coach. I will have to use many players and they must be ready.

“We are all professionals and we must accept and understand decisions. I would be stupid if I put a player in the stands who I believe can help me more than those on the pitch.”

The Hornets go into tomorrow’s game on the back of three straight victories; they have not managed four back-to-back wins since the 2010/11 campaign.

Jokanovic says his team have come a long way from when he first arrived at the club in October but knows there is room to improve – especially when it comes to their game management and defence.

Watford have kept just eight clean sheets this season compared to league leaders Middlesbrough’s 14 and have conceded 16 more goals than Aitor Karanka’s men.

Jokanovic recognised the Golden Boys’ philosophy is different to Boro’s but does analyse previous matches to improve their defensive issues.

He explained: “Our job is to be more solid in defence and try to stay at the same level whether we have the ball or don’t have the ball.

“What we work on in training depends on the situation. For example, we are trying to fix a problem we found against Bolton. A problem we detected in one line of the team and we are trying to fix that. But I work a similar amount of time with all the lines of my team.”

He added: “What we have to do better in matches is interpret what is happening on the pitch. When we score in the 92nd minute then nobody is sending them forward to score more.

“We must spend the last minutes defending and see out the game.”

Sean Murray is the only Hornet currently ruled out for the visit of Norwich.

There will be a familiar face in the Norwich ranks as Sebastien Bassong returns to Vicarage Road.

The centre-back spent three months on loan with the Hornets earlier in the campaign and Jokanovic wanted to make that a permanent deal.

However, Bassong returned to Norwich in January and has since regained his place in the Canaries side.

“I was very happy with Bassong while he was here,” Jokanovic said. “He really tried to help us. He is a great person and a very good player.

“It is not a question of Bassong or one player though, they are a good team and we must try to find the best way to win the game.”

One myth Jokanovic has dispelled this week is that he lacks passion. His celebration when Deeney scored the winning goal at Bolton was as animated as those of the Hornets fans in the stands.

“You can’t participate in any sport without passion,” Jokanovic said. “I am not an actor. I react in a certain way in a certain moment.

“Supporters like a big reaction. I was very happy when we scored in the last minute against Bolton because we saved our a***.

“If somebody thinks I am working here but I don’t care what happens then they are very wrong.”