The roar from the away end at The Valley whenever Kwadwo Baah received possession in space spoke volumes.
Watford supporters direct much of their optimistic energy towards Baah, a player barely on the radar 12 months ago and now approaching talisman status.
The 22-year-old only played 35% of available minutes last season but the Hornets' most fruitful spells aligned with when he was at his best.
But it was actually Baah's decisive influence on games that were not going Watford's way that highlighted his impact.
The explosive winger won a late penalty at home to Sunderland, bagged the winner against Middlesbrough and brilliantly assisted equalisers at Hull and Cardiff to earn his team points that would not have materialised without him.
KB opens his account for the season 💳 pic.twitter.com/DBVqKQfg6Z
— Watford Football Club (@WatfordFC) August 12, 2025
More: Predicting Watford's starting line-up to play QPR on Saturday
That ability to bend the game to his will is what Paulo Pezzolano could really do with a dollop of against QPR on Saturday, as he looks for the victory that can kickstart his reign at Vicarage Road.
The head coach repeatedly makes clear that his team needs time and patience to show the best version of themselves over the course of the season.
But while any major concern after just two losses – one of which was a narrow defeat from a promising display, the other set in motion by a very poor 45 minutes from what was largely a second string – is premature, it is clear the Uruguayan could do with a positive day to get the 2025/26 wheels turning.
With his ability to turn water into wine, Baah can be the game-changer required.
Baah was ultimately very well defended at Charlton – though still posed a threat, and perhaps should have set up the opener when he had Mamadou Doumbia waiting for a simple tap-in but pulled the ball back to Luca Kjerrumgaard instead.
Against Norwich City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, however, the electricity sorely lacking from Watford's performance was provided as soon as he was introduced in the 61st minute.
Fewer than 10 minutes after coming on he had outstripped his full-back and scored, before continuing to provide the most likely route to an equaliser.
Pezzolano said after the game: "He is a very explosive player.
"We know his quality and that depending on the opposition we can position him on either side."
That is a reference to Baah's cameo coming from the left flank, a position the winger told The Watford Observer he felt was his best earlier this summer because it increases his goal threat.
Baah combines pace, strength and a fine control of the ball to terrorise full-backs on either wing. While he is a remarkably direct player, it is notable how rarely he runs the ball out of play, always seeming to win a corner at worst.
His prowess is such that the Hornets would surely have gone close to securing a top-six finish had they had him in the side from January onwards last term, an absence that remains relevant to this season.
Baah suffered a substantial tear to his thigh against Preston at the beginning of the year and sustained a recurrence on his starting comeback at Bristol City in April, a situation that needs managing as he builds his workload and because specifically his style may exacerbate it.
He was withdrawn after an hour last week and Pezzolano was keen to stress on Tuesday that his side are not over-reliant on the forward.
He said: "All teams have players that can make a difference.
"We feel that KB [Baah]Â can be one of those players for us, but also Nestory [Irankunda]Â and [Giorgi] Chakvetadze, when he is available.
"Then we have Luca [Kjerrumgaard], Vivaldo {Semedo]. We also have players down the middle like [Moussa] Sissoko and [Edo] Kayembe. Even the full-backs."
If the Hornets are to put their first points of the season on the board on Saturday, though, it is clear who is most likely to do the damage.
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