Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
These two sides were promoted to the top flight last season and after impressive campaigns they once again find themselves facing off in Premier League action. The task for both Watford and Bournemouth will avoid succumbing to the dreaded ‘Second Season Syndrome’
Watford saw their run of wins ended on Monday as they fell to newly promoted Burnley at Turf Moor. Walter Mazzari’s side lost 2-0 and in all honesty were a shadow of the side that toppled both West Ham and Manchester United in previous weeks.
With Watford sitting in 11th at present they won’t be too disappointed with position, if you offered that to them come the end of the season then they would no doubt be delighted but there is still a lot of work to be done between now and May to finish that high up the table.
After being such a nuisance to the West Ham and Manchester United defences as of late, Troy Deeney had a rare quiet night on Monday and he will be hoping to set a captain’s example by getting back on the scoresheet when Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth visit this afternoon.
They sit in 15th and again if you were to offer that to Eddie Howe come the end of the season then you would imagine that he would take that position as it would secure a third straight campaign of Premier League football but like Watford they are going to have their work cut out to avoid the drop.
They have started slowly this season but there was a definite glimmer last week with the impressive home win against Everton last Saturday. Junior Stanislas’ fantastic strike was the difference as the Toffees became unstuck and Bournemouth delivered their second home win of the season.
Their home form is going to be an important aspect if they are to stay up but they need to also focus on getting points on the road and with these two sides being evenly matched then it’s certainly a game that Eddie Howe will feel is winnable.
Howe’s season as Bournemouth manager now takes on extra importance as what he can do in charge of The Cherries could give his chances of becoming England manager a massive boost. He like the other potential candidates in the frame are now in a virtual job interview between now and May. A successful season with Bournemouth could see him moving to international Football by next June.
But next June is a long way away and the focus shifts to Vicarage Road, there’s not much to call between these two sides and I think they will cancel each other out. I’ll put my money on a draw as both teams settle for a share of the points this afternoon.
