Southampton make the relatively short journey to Watford on Saturday, as they look to secure their third consecutive win and extend their unbeaten run to 12 games.
This will be no easy task though, with Watford on a nine-game run without defeat themselves.
Russell Martin has described this game as “the toughest we have had in a while”, which is big praise given the Saints have played several play-off chasing sides in recent weeks.
Although this fixture represents a difficult away trip, Southampton will be confident after making light work of Cardiff City in last weekend’s 2-0 win.
No manager’s job is ever massively secure at Vicarage Road, so it was a surprise when Valérien Ismael was given a new contract in early October despite a poor start to the season.
The Frenchman has since turned things around for the Hornets, though, with Watford now sat 10th in the Championship and three points off the play-offs.
We spoke to Watford journalist Andrew French of the Watford Observer to find out all you need to know about Southampton’s next opponents.
What is Watford’s playing style?
When asked what Southampton should expect from Watford, French explained that: “The season so far has had two distinct parts for Watford. Despite beating QPR 4-0 on the opening day, they only won two of their first 10 league games and appeared to be set for a long hard winter”.
On the day after announcing Ismael’s contract extension, Watford lost 2-0 to Sunderland, which left them 21st in the table and just one point above the relegation zone.
Since then Watford have improved drastically, with French stating that the Hornets have “become more solid, have an improved mindset and now look able to compete”, also adding that “they are now organised, still play their possession-based style, but have the spirit and attitude to turn that into points.”
In terms of how Watford will look to overcome Southampton, French predicted that Watford will be “happy to move the ball sideways and backwards to try and find gaps and they’ll use overlapping full-backs to combine with the wide players to try and go round the Saints defence.”
It may be that it suits Southampton to face a side that also look to keep the ball and build from the back, given this may allow Martin’s side to dominate Watford at their own game and frustrate their opponents. The Saints have struggled at times against sides that look to sit deep and counter so Saturday’s game will present a different challenge.
Ismael almost exclusively favours a 4-3-3 formation – a system Martin has regularly used this season – so it should be an intriguing tactical battle.
Who are Watford’s key men?
Despite his age, French has identified 34-year-old ex-England international Jake Livermore as one of Watford’s key men, saying: “Livermore has been a revelation during the recent good run, anchoring the midfield and providing a shield to the back four”.
Southampton’s holding midfielder, Flynn Downes, will be confident he can dictate the tempo of the game after a run of impressive performances and subsequently prevent Livermore from winning the midfield battle.
Ex-Saint Wesley Hoedt scored a remarkable lob from just inside the opposition half last weekend and French has also name-checked the Dutchman as being key to the defence. Southampton fans won’t remember Hoedt’s time on the south coast too fondly, with costly mistakes a common feature of his time at St Mary’s.
Canadian international Ismael Kone has also been highlighted as an important player who is said to be in “great form in midfield, having taken a while to settle in after moving to England almost a year ago”. French has also warned Southampton to keep an eye out for Yaser Asprilla, who is “only 20 but already a Colombian international and has both pace and tricks in his locker”.
With all that in mind, here is how French predicts Ismael will send out his Watford side for Saturday’s encounter:
(4-3-3): Ben Hamer; Ryan Andrews, Ryan Porteous, Wesley Hoedt, Jamal Lewis; Jake Livermore, Edo Kayembe, Ismael Kone; Yaser Asprilla, Mileta Rajovic, Ken Sema