Tom Cleverley wants Watford to be an attack-minded, front-footed side in away games, but stressed his team are far from one dimensional.
With the players in his squad and the attributes they have, the Hornets head coach says there are a large variety of ways they can play.
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“As much as we can I want us to be front-footed in away games, because I like to gain that superior mindset which hasn’t been easy with us going behind so early in games recently, Cleverley explained.
“I’ve put a massive emphasis on our home form, but we’re confident we have the game plan for away games too.
“I don’t think you can pigeon-hole us and say we are this sort of team or that sort of team, or the only way we can score is by making 500 passes a game.
“No, we’ve got pace and power, we can be physical at set pieces, we have technical ability when we want to dominate games.
“It’s going to be hard to keep a lid on us because we have various ways of winning games.
“And that suits playing away as well as it does at home.”
When he came in as interim manager last March, Cleverley’s main task was to just pick up points and edge away from any danger at the foot of the table.
How different will the Hornets be on the road now they hopefully have loftier ambitions?
“I thought the away form we had was good last season, and it’s a difficult question to answer really. I think the approach is not the same for every game,” he replied.
“I create a game plan that’s horses for courses, and that will affect team selection.
“I’m not going to say what it is, but there’s a clear way which the players know of how we’re going to get a result on Saturday.”
Last weekend Coventry manager Mark Robins threw Cleverley what he described as “a curveball” – is that something he might do to opposing sides himself?
“I wouldn’t do it for curveball’s sake, but I wouldn’t be afraid of changing system if I felt it was absolutely the right thing to do for that game.
“We did it at Southampton away last year for example.
“It’s something that I would be open to doing.”
Norwich will have to contend with the loss of coach Narcis Pelach, who has taken over as Stoke City manager following the departure of Steven Schumacher.
“It’ll be a little bit unsettling but more for the staff than the players,” said Cleverley.
“They are a team that like to get a lot of players around the ball, connect passes, take risks in their build.
“We have to respect them as they have a good balance in their squad.
“Kenny McLean was always one of my toughest opponents as a player, and a player I respect a lot.
“They have a lot of experience, but are maybe just going through a transitional period with their style of play.”
Having so many managers in the league that are not just new to the Championship but new to the English game can make preparing for matches a little trickier.
“I think it does, certainly in the first couple of games,” said Cleverley.
“Now I think we’ve got enough footage and understanding, five games in, of how they’re going to play and their coach’s style.
“But certainly if we were facing Norwich in the first game or two it would have been quite a challenge.”
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