There’s always a buzz around the first home game of the season, and this one looks really interesting.
The Wrexham Angle
Monday was good, but it was only one point. Win against Watford and it’ll feel okay: fail to do so and the frustration of Levi Colwill’s 98th minute goal will really kick in. Let’s look on the positive side though: we have back-to-back home games coming up, which represent a real chance to build on that away point. They’re also a chance to demonstrate improvement from last season already, as we won just one point against both Watford and Birmingham last season.
Matty James has trained since his injury at Cardiff, which is great news, and you’d expect him to start. With Danny Imray also apparently able to play after limping off, there’s clearly a good chance that we will field the same starting eleven, especially as the next midweek is empty.
Known injuries: Ben Sheaf, Liberato Cacace, Elliot Lee, Josh Windass.
The View From The Other Side
Serious question: are any EFL fans as unexpectedly delighted going into this weekend as Watford’s? They approached a difficult first game of the season with trepidation: a new manager, a very thin squad, their best striker had just left and their captain was refusing to play as he tried to press for a move. Furthermore, they were up against the Championship’s pantomime villains, Southampton. Set that aside for a moment though, and remember how spectacular they were at the end of last season. They were rightly turfed out of the play-offs, but if they hadn’t have been it would have taken an almighty upset to prevent them being in the Premier League this season. Mix in the abysmal end to the season Watford suffered, which cost Ed Still his job, and there was little optimism around Vicarage Road last weekend.
By the final whistle, the landscape was very different. The Hornets had won deservedly, looked coherent under the new coach and won through a fine solo goal from an academy player whose only previous start was for Afghanistan in The Maldives. That last point was particularly poignant as the match had been preceded by a tribute to one of their youth system’s finest alumni, and a proud Welsh international, Kenny Jackett.
Watford drafted in Alessio Dionisi as manager in the Summer after a spectacularly dismal end to last season. With key players leaving – including Nestory Irankunda, who was terrific in their 3-1 beating of us last season, departing shortly before the opening league game of the season – Dionisi looked to have a tricky task on his hands at a club with downward momentum. To add to his woes, talismanic captain Imran Louza is refusing to play as he looks to force a move before the transfer window. It seems he generously offered to keep training with the first team to keep his fitness up, and the new manager rightly told him to get lost and work with the youth team! There wasn’t much enthusiasm among Hornets fans for Dionisi, who arrives with good bona fides from the Italian second tier, including two spells at Empoli which perfectly bracketed Liberato Cacace’s spell there without their paths crossing.
Last Saturday’s superb performance has made all the difference, and now Dionisi is being heralded as the messiah. He still has issues to address though. His squad is very thin and last weekend’s bench featured three academy players who probably wouldn’t be there under normal circumstances. They lost left back Marc Bola early in the Southampton match, adding to an extensive injury list. Dionisi has said that he needs a number of new signings before the end of the transfer window, but no new players came in last week, so he’ll have to ask the same set of players to repeat their heroics.
I believe 100 per cent in my players, but it will be another type of match. I am not worried but I have a lot of respect for them.
I want to see every training session before I make my decision. The last match we won, but for the next match it will depend on our training, and our opponents. There might be one or two changes. What is important is getting three points.”
It is important to know the history, because I spoke with the staff about last season. There was one team at home, and another mentality away. We are working to improve this.
-Alessio Dionisi to Watford club media
Watch out for the pace Watford have on the flanks. Outstanding Moroccan play maker Othmane Maamma operates from the left and, although he is only 20, has already earned a full cap for the African champions. His range of passing and skill on the ball make him a real threat, while his pace complements that of Amin Nabizada, who is even younger on the other flank. He’s the player responsible for that fine solo goal last weekend, and his energy will need watching.
Iker Bravo had an impressive goalscoring debut playing off another 20year-old African international, Malian centre forward Mamadou Doumbia, who holds the ball up well. There’s lots of youthful brio on the front foot, and experience further back with Matty Pollock a rock in central defence and Hector Kyprianou a deep-lying player making who is not scared of going hard into a tackle in front of him.
The injury Bola picked up might not be a total disaster for Dionisi, as he made way for ex-Bournemouth left back Jordan Zemura, on loan from on of owners the Pozzo family’s other clubs, Udinese. He was outstanding in his debut, both going forwards and defensively, linking well with Maamma.
Watford did tire in the second half, and although they deserved the win, Southampton missed a glorious late chance to force the draw. With an EFL Cup match in midweek, Dionisi has hinted he may alter his winning side. It will fascinating, in all senses of the phrase, to see which Watford turns up on Saturday
Known injuries: Marc Bola, Kwadwo Baah, Jeremy Ngakia, Jack Grieves, Travis Akomeah.
Refuses to play: Imran Louza
Potential Milestones
Zak Vyner’s 325th league match.
Matty James’ 75th Wrexham game.
Elliot Lee’s 375th career match.
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