Real Football Man All of the Football, All of the time
A lower mid table clash will take place at Vicarage Road this Afternoon as 12th place Watford play host to 13th place Southampton. The Saints will travel here looking to put the disappointment of last weekend behind them as they were on the losing side of a 5 goal Wembley thriller in the EFL Cup Final.
Watford suffered disappointment of their own in the week with the news that Mauro Zarate suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the game against West Ham last Saturday Evening. The Argentine who only joined the club in January now is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Walter Mazzari’s side took an early lead in that game thanks to an early Troy Deeney spot kick but they were pegged back by an Andre Ayew equaliser 15 minutes from time as The Hammers made the short trip back to East London with a share of the points.
After a small resurgence of back to back wins, The Hornets have picked up a solitary point in their last two encounters but will go into this game confident that they can take advantage of Southampton side who will no doubt still be feeling sore after matters at Wembley last Sunday.
That is because they were on the wrong side of an incorrect offside decision when Manolo Gabbiadini prodded home from close range early on. That goal not only denied Southampton the lead but it also denined The Saints new hero an EFL Cup Final hat-trick.
Many felt at 2-0 the game was out of their reach as Manchester United took a healthy lead somewhat against the run of play but full credit has to go to Gabbiadini for dragging them back into the game. His first just before the break was a poachers effort while his second just after the restart showed real strikers instinct.
But unfortunately for the Italian international his two goal haul was overshadowed by the same goal tally by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, regardless of how the former Napoli striker played last Sunday headlines are rarely written about the losers when it comes to cup finals.
For Southampton boss Claude Puel he now has the job of picking his side up from that defeat and making sure the clubs season does not completely fizzle out. The sole aim now will be to pick up a top half finish in his first season in charge but he will have his work cut out for that to be the case.
It’s fair to say that Southampton have blown hot and cold this season and it would not be unfair to say that it’s been more cold than hot. But credit to Puel must be given as he has identified that a lack of goals is an issue and in Gabbiadini they have found someone who has hit the ground running.
It’s already 5 goals in his first three matches for the club and their is every chance that he could make history this Afternoon. If he does manage to find the net for Southampton then he will be the first player to score in all of his first four games for the club.
With the league positions being what they are in regards to these two teams, there is obviously not a lot between them and therefore I would be very surprised if we don’t see anything other than a draw. Gabbiadini to score might be a smart bet, a draw might be an even smarter one.
