Amid the excitement of the victory and the joy of securing three points at The Den, Tom Cleverley was also mindful to point out that a great afternoon does not mean attention won’t be paid to what prevented Watford coasting home on a 2-0 wave.
Although both Millwall goals were clinically taken, the ball would not have got to Duncan Watmore on either occasion had it not been for errors from the Hornets.
And while there aren’t many better feelings than scoring a late winner just after being pegged back to 2-2, being able to close out away wins when you’re 2-0 ahead is better for everyone in the long run.
“It makes it a lot more easy to deal with those things when you come away with three points, but let’s not let that cover over the fact that we can get better,” Cleverley admitted.
“That’s what I’m all about. You can’t just address problems when you lose, and not when you win.
“To create a winning environment we get better at everything, even when we do win.
“Moussa and Tom were always showing for the ball, and it would have been a much bigger problem if they had been hiding.
- "If we're good in transfer window our ambitions can increase"
- Cleverley's hails Chakvetadze's class
- Read every WFC story with 80% less ads for just 25p a week
“We made a couple of technical mistakes and ending up conceding from them, but it’s the way forward to play like that.
“We believe that with confidence and work, it will be better next time.”
There is always the alternative to trying to play your way out of your own final third, and that’s to just pump the ball as far away from your own goal as you can.
“But by doing that you can also invite pressure,” the Watford head coach pointed out.
“The best way to see out a game is to keep possession of the ball.
“I’ve been in that situation too many times where the ball just keeps recycling and recycling, and you end up going deeper and deeper.
“For me, the way forward is to continue to try and play through their lines when the opposition gamble more with their pressure.
“Of course, there will be times in the last five minutes and you just kick for territory or for touch.
“But I can’t fault the character of the players for wanting to try to see a way out with controlling the ball.
“We just didn’t execute it well enough today.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel