Watford rue the day in Leicester as missed chances handed the Foxes three points at the King Power.
As has been the case much of the season, the Hornets put on an impressive display on the pitch. They dominated the game and controlled the ball from the first whistle yet goals from Jamie Vardy and James Maddison were enough for Puel’s side to take the bragging rights.
Despite Leicester taking the lead early on through a Vardy penalty, Watford continued to come at Leicester. However, Javi Gracia’s men missed many opportunities to draw level before the break and despite creating plenty of chances, his side were wasteful in front of goal, with frustration evident in the Hornets camp.
James Maddison doubled the lead for the Foxes on the 23rd minute as he brought down a great pass from Marc Albrighton and sent a right-footed volley past Foster to give Leicester a comfortable 2-0 lead. Watford continued to knock at the Leicester door and were patient in their approach, but much like games against Southampton and Newcastle, Watford couldn’t find any magic at the attacking end of the pitch and went home disappointed.
Gracia’s new contract starts with a loss
On Friday, the Watford boss signed a new long-term contract which could keep the Spaniard at Vicarage Road through to 2023. In less than a full season of football, chairman and chief executive, Scott Duxbury said, “From day one it was clear that Javi worked well with us and shared our vision of how to achieve success for Watford Football Club, and we are looking forward to continuing that work together for many years to come.” It’s the first time since 2011 and Malky Mackay that a Watford manager has signed an extension.
This is excellent news for players and supporters, as it appears Gracia could further develop this side without worry of being shown the door. To date, he’s been welcomed with open arms and is slowly starting to stamp his mark on this Watford side. They continue to improve and have played well since the start of the year; while results haven’t always been positive, the atmosphere and camaraderie has and his side still find themselves in a nice position with the Christmas period approaching.
Watford unable to punish the hosts
In their last six games, Watford have managed 62 goal attempts and just 17 shots on target, in both stats they sit near the bottom of the league. While transitional play and build up continue to be key through the midfield, the finishing product continues to be dismal. Gracia after the game commented on the lack of shots on target saying “We need to be demanding, we need to improve these situations because as you can see in these last games we are losing points, we are losing options to get better results because we are not efficient enough.”
In comparison to recent games against Newcastle and Southampton, Watford dominated play, but Leicester were able to take advantage on the break, which what Vardy and the Foxes are known for. “Today I think it was different. We dominated the possession, I think we had 62 percent, but it wasn’t enough to finish the action. We created chances but we didn’t shoot on target,” said Gracia.
The Foxes on the up
After starting the season with five losses in the first nine games, Leicester have come together after the Vichai tragedy, with two wins and eight points over their last four games. As a result, the Foxes now find themselves in 8th with 21 points, a position they will be considerably happy with at this point in the season.
Even while missing center back, Harry Maguire, Leicester have recorded two clean sheets in the last three games. His potential return next week will only go on to strengthen the Foxes backline as they face a resurgent Spurs team at home.
