Category Archives: Javi Gracia

24th November 2018- Premier League, Watford 0 Liverpool 3

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Watford Observer

Watford vs Liverpool: Relive coverage of the Premier League clash at Vicarage Road

Watford vs Liverpool: Hornets stung by second half strikes

Watford vs Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp salutes ‘really mature performance’

Watford vs Liverpool: Javi Gracia feels ‘bit unlucky’ with ‘some decisions’ for second game running

Watford Player Ratings: Ben Foster stars in Liverpool defeat

IN PICTURES: Images from Watford’s defeat to Liverpool

Watford’s Will Hughes says he was caught by Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson

FAN’S VIEW: Positives to be taken from Watford’s loss to Liverpool

Watford had the ball in the net inside three minutes but the goal was ruled out for offside. A long ball was touched on by Troy Deeney, allowing Gerard Deulofeu to race through but, as he slotted past Alisson, the offside flag was correctly raised.

Hosts Watford were aggrieved not to be awarded a penalty when Reds defender Andy Robertson appeared to foul Will Hughes while the score was level.

Although the tackle was clearly mistimed, it was hard to tell whether he made contact with Hughes. Watford’s players claimed there had been an obvious foul but the referee, Jon Moss, disagreed. Shortly after that Liverpool went in front thanks to the first high-class move of the match.

So the first of two home games in ten days against ostensibly the strongest clubs in the country. Beaten fair and square, but the scoreline doesn’t do justice to our performance which was better than that, or to the strategy selected which asked a lot of us but wasn’t a million miles from earning a result. Good decisions don’t guarantee good outcomes, it’s difficult to conceive of an approach that would have had a better chance of success.

Prior to kick-off there was a superb set of banners in the away end protesting Scudamore’s golden handshake. Well done to the Liverpool fans for that.

http://watford.fcdb.info?s=39639&id=5309

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27th October 2018- Premier League, Watford 3 Huddersfield Town 0

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Referee:Mike Dean

Attendance:20,457

clips of Jon Marks BBC 3CR commentary Goals:1 2 3

Watford Observer

RELIVE – Watford vs Huddersfield Town: Roberto Pereyra scores sublime solo goal in Premier League win

Watford vs Huddersfield Town: Roberto Pereyra, Gerard Deulofeu and Isaac Success goals secure triumph

Watford vs Huddersfield Town: Javi Gracia still seeking improvements after Terriers success

PICTURES: A selection of images as Watford see off Huddersfield Town

Watford player ratings: Gerard Deulofeu and Roberto Pereyra impress against Huddersfield Town

Will Hughes: Entire Watford squad benefitting from Roberto Pereyra and Gerard Deulofeu’s quality

Isaac Success: Will Hughes hails hard working Watford forward after impressive Huddersfield display

Watford: Isaac Success keen to build on goalscoring turn against Huddersfield Town

Watford defender Adrian Mariappa praised for being ‘always ready’ to play

Kiko Femenia believes Watford need to maintain high performance levels

Two sublime individual goals from Roberto Pereyra and Gerard Deulofeu helped Watford secure their best start to a top-flight season and send Huddersfield to the foot of the table.

Watford now boast 19 points from 10 games – bettering their 17 at the same stage of the 1982-83 campaign, where they finished second.

The current Watford manager could not be happier with his squad, but does not expect them to emulate Leicester’s shock title of 2015-16. “This is the best squad in the Premier League,” he said. “I don’t think we’d be able to achieve to win the championship. But we are going to try to enjoy every game, and try to do that for our supporters, help them enjoy it with us.

Nonetheless, here was a challenge we’ve rarely experienced before, certainly since the 1980s. That of being the side… not just favourites but comprehensive favourites, odds-on favourites, expected to win in a top flight game. As with all unfamiliar things it doesn’t feel altogether comfortable, as positive an indicator as it may be of the status to which we’ve elevated ourselves. You’re much less open to disappointment – and pressure – as the underdog. Nor had this edginess been improved by finding ourselves placed at exactly the same spot in Wagamama as we had been pre-Bournemouth. Or by discovering, now as then, that it was much bloody colder than anticipated necessitating hat purchase for the second home game on the trot. (Or, as an aside, that the hat was too small. The costume fitters of the Adhoc theatre group will roll their eyes, full of complaints at the the prohibitive size of my head. Nonetheless… a one size fits all hat shouldn’t be too small…).

The joy was tempered somewhat by the worrying news of Glenn Hoddle’s collapse. Then, when I returned home, I heard of the Leicester owner’s helicopter crashing and the death of a Brighton fan after their game. The Leicester owners have been such a boon to both the club and the town, when something so awful happens, all football fans share the pain. My thoughts are with the family and friends of all affected this weekend.

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6th October 2018- Premier League, Watford 0 AFC Bournemouth 4

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Official site match highlights

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RELIVE – Watford vs AFC Bournemouth: Joshua King double helps sink sorry Hornets after Christian Kabasele red card

Bad day for 10-man Watford as they suffer heavy Bournemouth defeat

Watford vs AFC Bournemouth: Eddie Howe felt Christian Kabasele’s two yellow cards was ‘right call’

Javi Gracia admits it was a ‘bad day’ for Watford in Bournemouth defeat

Watford vs AFC Bournemouth: Christian Kabasele red card put Cherries in control, says Joshua King

Watford vs AFC Bournemouth player ratings: Defenders disappoint in desperate Premier League loss

Pictures from Watford’s heavy Bournemouth defeat

Gerard Deulofeu admits Watford need to improve ‘many things’ after Bournemouth defeat

David Brooks opened the scoring for the Cherries before Joshua King converted from the spot after being brought down by Christian Kabasele, who was sent off for a second bookable offence.

The result moves Bournemouth up to fifth in the Premier League after back-to-back wins, while Watford drop to eighth after failing to register a victory in their last four games.

Javi Gracia said Watford must now get down to work to ensure no repeat of their hefty defeat. “It has been the first game where we hadn’t competed at the same level as other games,” the Watford manager said. “Today we have conceded more chances, we’ve made more mistakes than in all the other games put together.”

the first 14 minutes were OK… Bournemouth dropped deep and invited us into congested areas, but we did an encouraging enough job having accepted said invitation. This culminated in Andre Gray’s shot being blocked as he span away on the right hand side of the area, and shortly afterwards the cumulative attritional effect of a series of attacks peeled open a space for Will Hughes to have a go. It was a relatively comfortable ask for Begović, who held the ball down to his right, but as an opening salvo it was perfectly acceptable.

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15th September 2018- Premier League, Watford 1 Manchester United 2

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Referee:Mike Dean Attendance:20,537

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho said Romelu Lukaku epitomised his team’s performance as they withstood a spirited fightback from Watford to claim back-to-back victories and condemn the Hornets to a first loss of the season.

Ben Foster was excellent in the first half despite the scoreline, and made a wonderful save from Alexis Sanchez in the 32nd minute as a long ball from De Gea was put into the Chile forward’s path by Lukaku. He then dribbled down to the right of the area before taking aim, but Foster was equal to it with a fingertip stop at the near post.

The Watford supporters very audibly sensed vulnerability in United but, with Mourinho imploring his players forward, they suddenly struck twice shortly before half-time.

A play in three acts, this. The Hornets lined up in the now conventional eleven; United kicking towards the Rookery in an alternative kit of nondescript colour which looked, as Cathal later observed, like it might be inside out.

It was a day to remember absent friends as it would have been GT’s 74^th birthday and Toddy’s anniversary is this week. While there was little expectation that our 100% record would continue, we had to hope that the lads would still do them both proud.

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2nd September 2018- Premier League, Watford 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1

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clips of Jon Marks BBC 3CR commentary Goals: 1 2

Watford Observer

RELIVE – Watford vs Tottenham Hotspur: Hornets’ perfect Premier League start extended at Spurs’ expense

Watford beat Tottenham Hotspur to continue perfect start to season

Mauricio Pochettino labels Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat ‘so painful’

Javi Gracia says Watford will enjoy win against Tottenham Hotspur the same as their other victories

Jose Holebas: Watford’s character key to downing Tottenham Hotspur

Watford player ratings: Troy Deeney and Craig Cathcart on song as Hornets down Tottenham Hotspur

Watford: Selection of images from a memorable victory against Tottenham Hotspur

Watford: Jose Holebas believes club are ready to build settled Premier League side

Troy Deeney the providing the spirit behind Watford’s fine start, says Javi Gracia

Watford came from behind to maintain their 100 per cent start to the season as two quickfire headers gave them a 2-1 win over Tottenham at Vicarage Road on Super Sunday.

Tottenham had scored a fortuitous opener as Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure bundled into his own net but, after winning their first four league games for the first time in 30 years, it is the Hornets who join Liverpool and Chelsea on maximum points at the top of the table.

To the delight of Elton John, who sat in the posh seats, and every one of their other supporters, it was Watford rather than Tottenham who maintained their 100% start to the season. It is four wins out of four for them in the league and, for the first time since 1987, Watford triumphed in this fixture.

Having had to man the barricades at the end of the first half, Spurs’ goal came from nothing eight minutes into the second. A loose clearance, an aimless low cutback from Moura and a freak deflection off Doucouré that wrong-footed Foster. The sort of goal that would normally be a hammer blow. “You don’t give away goals like that against teams like this. It can’t be our day. They haven’t had to do much to earn that…”.

There was a certain inevitability to the goal and we settled back to witness the defeat that was sure to come. But the players were of a completely different mindset and the goal seemed to galvanise them into action. First Gray hit a powerful shot that was just over the bar. Then Deeney hit a shot across goal that took a deflection off Vertonghen before coming back off the inside of the post. So close! Spurs were rattled and Dembélé went into the referee’s book for pulling down Hughes. Holebas took the resulting free kick which was met by Deeney who powered the header home to level the game and send the Rookery wild.

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26th August 2018- Premier League, Watford 2 Crystal Palace 1

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Referee:Anthony Taylor Attendance:20,014

clips of Jon Marks BBC 3CR commentary Goals: 1 2

Watford Observer

RELIVE – Watford vs Crystal Palace: Perfect Premier League start continues for Hornets

Watford make it nine points from nine with battling Crystal Palace win

Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson reflects on Watford defeat

Watford: Javi Gracia says it’s ‘special’ to get three consecutive Premier League wins

PICTURES: A selection of images from Watford’s historic win over Crystal Palace

Ben Foster: Javi Gracia’s style key to Watford’s flying Premier League start

Player ratings: Watford’s Christian Kabasele on song as Hornets down Crystal Palace

Watford: Javi Gracia pleased with Roberto Pereyra’s all-round contribution

Watford’s Christian Kabasele highlights importance of team spirit as winning run goes on

The Hornets maintained their perfect start in the Premier League to move behind Liverpool and level with Chelsea at the top of the table on goal difference.

Wilfried Zaha struck 12 minutes from time at Vicarage Road to raise hopes of a visiting fightback but the hosts held on as Roberto Pereyra’s 53rd-minute strike and Jose Holebas’s freak second (71) proved enough.

This snarl of a game was deep into stoppage time when Luka Milivojevic swung over one last hopeful corner kick and, with the majority in the arena anxiously holding their breath, Joel Ward leapt unchallenged into the six-yard box only to head wide of the post. The locals’ outpouring of relief at the miss was almost as deafening as the raucous delight which greeted the final whistle moments later.

The build-up to this game was all about Harry Hornet who, in answer to a question from a journalist, had been branded a ‘disgrace’ by Roy Hodgson for an incident two years ago that I doubt Hodgson had actually ever seen, when Harry collapsed behind Zaha while the post-match handshakes were happening. Sticking up for your player is all well and good but Roy lost all credibility when he claimed, with a straight face, that Zaha didn’t dive. Sorry, Roy he gets booked for it, which was what provoked Harry’s action. You couldn’t help but feel that Roy’s words would come back to haunt him.

It feels more like March than August bank holiday weekend. Palace have brought the traditional Croydon microclimate with them and it dampens our quick start before it gets going. Only the hissing, spitting hot fat of this fixture burns on unperturbed, and it hadn’t needed Roy Hodgson ambling into a Harry-shaped animal trap in the visitors’ pre-match press conference to ignite it. Our encounters have a bad-tempered, even spiteful undercurrent all of their own.

It only took four minutes for the game’s first talking point to occur. As Capoue tripped Zaha in the middle of the pitch, the referee awarded the midfielder a yellow card. At the time and due to where I was sitting I thought this decision was harsh. Replays show however that Capoue may have been lucky to stay on the pitch, after a potentially dangerous challenge.

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