Opposition View: Watford

After Last seasons heart break how do you see this season going?

Gino Pozzo – running the club for father Giampaolo – stated last season that this season our explicit aim would be promotion. A number of quality additions have been made to the squad and equally importantly, a lot of the dead wood has been moved on.

Consequently, the squad is bother stronger and enjoys more quality in depth than ever before. If the new players can gel quickly and we don’t find ourselves playing catch-up early on, like last season, there’s no reason we can’t achieve the goal of promotion this year.

Your thoughts on Zola?

He’s been superb. From day one he has made a commitment to positive, attractive, attacking football and he has stuck to his guns. I think most football fans will forgive the side/the manager if results don’t come but the football being served up is attractive, but we’ve had the bonus of both.

A number of supporters feel he rotates the side, but it’s a squad game and in a 46 game league season, rotation is a necessary part of modern-day squad management. It’s just unfortunate that many choose only to judge the Italian if he shuffles his pack for a defeat.

Who’s been your big summer signings?

As has been well publicised, the majority of the players who came here on-loan last season have returned permanently, whilst there have been some exciting, brand-new additions on permanent deals.

Striker Diego Fabbrini arrives at Vicarage Road a full Italian international, whilst wing-back Marco Davide Faraoni joins shortly after a multi-million move to Udinese from the famous Inter Milan – talk about peidgree!

New trio, Javier Acuna, Iriney and Gabriele Angella have all impressed too.

Any key players missing Tuesday? and do you think Zola will name a full strength side?

Only winger Ikechi Anya is a real doubt; Cristian Battoccio and Joel Ekstrand could be eased back into match action in an XI guaranteed to be different from the side that beat Birmingham City on Saturday.

Centre-backs Tommie Hoban & Nyron Nosworthy are both out with long-term injuries.

Watfords biggest threat tomorrow?

Without having much of an idea who will start it’s very hard to say!

What’s your opinion on Rovers?

It’s going to seem very ignorant, but I know very little – if anything – about them.

And finally prediction?

3-0 Watford.


Thanks to Tom Bodell from Vital Watford.