So finally after one-hundred and eleven days, the new season is among us, and compared to recent pre-seasons, this is a very exciting one, as the Hornets prepare for their first season in the Premier League under the Pozzos, along with the addition of ten new signings.
Vital Quotes:
The fixtures for the new season were revealed in mid June, and it was then that we knew for the opening game we would be travelling up to Merseyside, to take on the Blue guys from Liverpool, in Roberto Martinez’s Everton.
We do not really know what to expect from this fixture, to say the least, with the club installing Quique Flores as the new head coach, in place of the righteous Slavisa Jokanovic who guided us to the top flight for the first time in eight years.
Flores’ pedigree is regarded to be very high, and it’s fair to say, he has a tricky task ahead of him. Walking through the doors of a newly promoted team, as so did the ten new players that Watford have brought into the club, and these have to be assembled into a starting eleven by the Spaniard, week in, week out.
Who should we expect to see in the starting eleven? In one of our recent ‘Talking Point feature , we looked at who we think would make the starting XI and our reasons for them. I think we all have an assurance that Gomes will be between the sticks, in addition to Deeney being up top, for a vast majority of the season. An appearance for club record signing Etienne Capoue is very likely, as he looks to slot into that new look midfield alongside Valon Behrami and Almen Abdi.
As for Everton, they have thrown the dice back to two seasons ago when Spanish winger, Gerard Deulofeu was playing in Blue, by making him a Toffees player for the duration of three years with the potential of a fourth. Their final and second addition of the season is a familiar face to Hornets fans, as Tom Cleverley teamed up with Roberto Martinez’s men during pre-season, after arriving on a free transfer from Manchester United, where Watford originally loaned the twenty-five year old from during the 2009-10 season, as he scored eleven goals in thirty-three games.
Everton are coming into the back of the this season after competing in the Barclays Asia Trophy over in Singapore. The Toffees defeated Stoke City on their route to the final, only to get defeated to Arsenal.
Everton Team News:
Everton’s key man, Romelu Lukaku, will be assesed before kick off to determine whether he is fit enough to play the opener, as the striker missed a few pre-seasons clashes against Leeds United and Villareal due to a hamstring problem.
Deulofeu, who we just mentioned as the one of two summer additions from the Blues, looks likely to miss out with a similar injury.
Carrying slight knocks are both Kevin Mirallas and John Stones, with Mirallas signing a new deal, and Chelsea being linked with the young centre-back Stones, but they are both likely to feature.
Tony Hibbert, Aiden McGeady, Darren Gibson, Muhamed Besic and Steven Pienaar have been confirmed as absentees.
Player to watch: Romelu Lukaku
A very powerful striker is something which the Hornets will have to put up with on Saturday afternoon, if Lukaku is to be available.
He is pacey and strong, and is very clinical in front of goal.
However, the Belgian striker only scored ten Premier League goals last year, and he and the Everton supporters will be hoping this season around, he matches the club record price tag.
Watford Team News:
Out of the ten signings Watford have made, two of them are confirmed to not feature, with one other being a doubt, as Miguel Britos and Giedrius Arlauskis are serving suspensions, with Stephen Burghuis recovering from an injury, something which is also ruling Almen Abdi out.
Player to watch: Troy Deeney
Deeney will no doubt want to pick up where he left off, as the skipper looks to keep help keep the Hornets up in the top flight.
Our number nine will no doubt be the cog in the machine, with him wearing the armband and being a motivator in the dressing room when need be.
Match Facts & Stats
Quique Flores, speaking to watfordfc.com: “I expect a high performance. We are always working hard to make a high performance and the players are working very well, so we have a good and interesting match we can offer the fans.
“We are going to play against a tough team like Everton, and it is always important to start well, but I have a lot of confidence with the players.
“I am very happy to lead these players into the Premier League and it will be interesting to see what the response of the team is.”
Roberto Martinez, speaking to evertonfc.com:
“As a team we have to achieve, be successful and do a lot better in the league than we did in the last campaign.
“Last season we wanted to win games early on but we never got that momentum. The experiences of last season will help us immensely.
“I am very excited with the feeling in the dressing room and we know that every game at home we are going to make it a really special place to play our football.
“We need to use the home support in our favour and enjoy our home environment from the beginning.’
Ref Watch:
Read our ‘Man In The Middle Feature’ HERE, to find out all the stats on appointed referee Mike Jones.
