Like many of the teams towards the bottom of the Premier League table last season -- and in most years -- Watford had the classic killer combination of a lack of offensive firepower and an equally disappointing struggle of allowing goals.
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Marco Silva has been brought in to help Watford improve upon its 17th place finish from 2016/17, and with several key additions in the midfield the Hornets just might be able to climb the PL table in the Portuguese manager’s first season with the club.
Best, worst case scenarios – Watford will likely be lumped in with many of the usual mid-table suspects, which isn’t the worst thing in the world. If the Hornets can find another stable goalscorer alongside Troy Deeney up front, then perhaps the squad can make a push into the upper half of the table, which is likely the team’s ceiling. The club has also been reported to be close to a deal with young Brazilian Richarlison, and if successful, the 20-year-old Fluminense attacker could be a promising piece to the squad.
Worst-case scenario might just see Silva’s side drop down to the Championship. It’s not far-fetched considering how close Watford was a season ago to falling into England’s second flight. There were major concerns defensively last season, with the club allowing 68 goals in 38 matches, and as mentioned above, Deeney really didn’t have much support in the goalscoring department. He was the only Watford player to crack the 10-goal mark, and that’s something that must change in 2017/18 if the Hornets are to stave off relegation.
Best possible XI is…
Gomes
Janmaat — Kaboul — Britos — Holebas
Doucoure — Chalobah
Amrabat — Cleverley — Pereyra
Deeney
[ MORE: 2017-18 PL season preview hub ]
Transfers In: Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea, Undisclosed), Daniel Bachman (Free agent), Kiko Femenia (Alaves, Undisclosed), Will Hughes (Derby County, Undisclosed)
Transfers Out: Juan Carlos Paredes (Emelec, Free), Mario Suarez (Guizhou Hengfeng Zhicheng, Undisclosed)
Last season:
— 17th in Premier League
— FA Cup 4th Round (lost to Millwall)
— League Cup 2nd Round (lost to Gillingham)
Star player: Troy Deeney — As stated above, Deeney was the only player to crack 10 goals last season. This is a squad that desperately needs somebody to finish chances, and at this very moment, it appears Deeney is the most likely candidate to do so.
Coaches’ Corner: Marco Silva — Say what you will about Silva’s performance at Hull last season, but there really wasn’t much to work with for the Portuguese boss or the Tigers roster. This isn’t a terribly different scenario for the manager, but the club has added some solid pieces this summer, such as Chalobah and Femenia. He’ll certainly have his work cut out for him, and Silva will have to keep a sharp eye out for more additions during January if he is to keep this team afloat.
PST predicts: Goals have been hard to come by for Watford, and at the end of the day that’s what keeps you in the Premier League. The Hornets squeaked by last season with just 40 goals to get them into 17th place, but it’s hard to say if that will be enough again in 2017/18. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, somebody other than Troy Deeney has to emerge on the goalscoring-front, and it has to start earlier rather than later in the season because that could spell doom for Silva and this squad.
