As a coach who breaks the season down into blocks of games, Tom Cleverley is only too well aware that the start of the campaign sees several games condensed into a few weeks.
With the opening few months punctuated by international fixtures, the Hornets played six games in three weeks before the first pause, and will have repeated the same number in 21 days this time around.
That first block of six delivered five wins – so far, there are no victories this time around and a combination of needing to get back to doing what brought success, erasing the self-inflicted handicap of conceding early goals and the demands of the schedule means there will be things done differently over the next week.
“We have to respond to things as a coaching staff, yes," said Cleverley.
“It will be a week where we use 16 or 17 players in the starting line-up over the three games, so there will be tweaks to the 11 that starts.
“And there has to be a reaction to the way we start games.”
Any opposing manager will look at Watford’s recent games and most likely tell their players to get at the Hornets immediately the first whistle sounds.
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“Yeah, and the players know that because I’ve said it to them,” admitted Cleverley.
“We’ve made a mistake in the first five minutes against City but then I thought we were a lot more focussed, and we put a high value on defensive actions.
“It’s an intensity of mind, and I keep saying that. You have to be on high, high alert for the full 90 minutes, but especially the first five minutes of both halves.”
Not only are the tardy starts costing goals, it’s obviously meant Watford have only kept one clean sheet in six outings as well.
“Obviously it’s costing us clean sheets and our game plans are lasting three or four minutes, which isn’t easy,” Cleverley reflected.
“But I have full faith in the players to put it right, and we have created a game plan to win each game which I have full faith the players will execute on Saturday.”
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