Deulofeu has point to prove at home after more away success

Many of our questions about Watford were answered in their 2-1 win at Huddersfield on Saturday.

Fantasy managers learned what their attack should look like in the absence of a suspended Troy Deeney (£5.9m) as well as what their defence is capable of.

How they are shaping up for their second match of Double Gameweek 35 and the rest of the season is the focus of this latest Scout Notes article.

Huddersfield 1-2 Watford

Goals: Karlan Grant (£5.0m) | Gerard Deulofeu x2 (£5.6m)

Assists: Chris Löwe (£4.4m) | Abdoulaye Doucouré (£6.0m)

Gerard Deulofeu (£5.6m) is potentially half-way to producing a memorable Double Gameweek haul for his 5.2% ownership. He overcame his yellow flag to start up front for Watford and was comfortably the most threatening player on the pitch. In fact, so far in Double Gameweek 35, no player has recorded more shots on target, and only three have more shots in the box.

Those impressive statistics yielded a 16-point haul against Huddersfield, as Deulofeu scored twice. The first goal of his brace was somewhat familiar to those who witnessed his opening strike in this month’s FA Cup semi-final victory over Wolves. Receiving the ball from a Terence Kongolo (£4.3m) tackle, the former Everton man cleverly guided into the net with virtually no backlift.

“He’s lovely at that – once he’s got you stood still you’re in trouble! It’s got minimum backlift. He’s got real control and knows exactly where he’s putting it – he does that in training all the time.” – Ben Foster

“Today was not quite the same, the semi-final goal was more beautiful but today was really good also.” – Gerard Deulofeu

Deulofeu continues to be deployed as a centre-forward for Watford, which the player himself has cited as the reason why he has now tripled his best-ever goals tally in a Premier League season. He scored just three times for Everton back in the 2013/14 campaign but has nine goals to his name with four matches left of 2018/19.

“The difference is I’m playing as a striker. This is my first season playing up front and it’s 11 goals but it could be more because in the first period of the season I missed a lot of chances, so it could be 15 or more. I’m happy playing nearer to the goal and that’s the reason why I’m scoring more goals.” – Gerard Deulofeu

Whether Deulofeu can add to his Double Gameweek 35 score in a significant fashion does depend on his home form. It is Southampton who come to Vicarage Road on Tuesday, night fresh from losing 3-1 to Newcastle at St James’ Park, which of course bodes well. However, Deulofeu is without a league goal at home since Gameweek 17, when Cardiff were seen off 3-2. He may have six goals in his last five Premier League away matches, but Deulofeu has scored only three times at Vicarage Road all season. Furthermore, he may still have doubters to prove wrong against Southampton, considering that 60 of his 122 FPL points this season have come in four matches against Huddersfield and Cardiff. Staggeringly, that’s just under half.

The fact that the last three matches of the season hand Watford two home games against Wolves and West Ham, and a trip to Chelsea, it is possible that Deulofeu might struggle to match his recent hauls away at Huddersfield and Cardiff.

“With players like Geri, you are going to have times where you might get a little bit frustrated, but he’s somebody that is so invaluable to the team. You want him in your team because he can always win you games. He’s always looking to go forward with the ball, and sometimes he drags the whole team with him. It’s nice to watch.” – Ben Foster

Elsewhere in the Watford attack, as predicted, Andre Gray (£6.0m) got himself a start in the absence of Deeney. It was his second in a row, which could set him up well to play against Southampton, although he was not especially threatening at the John Smith’s Stadium. From just one effort on goal against one of the worst defences in the league this year, Gray did not manage a single shot on target. He was replaced by Isaac Success (£4.5m) in the 72nd minute, who would be the most likely to take his starting berth on Tuesday night. Whether or not there will be any rotation for that match remains to be seen.

“To be honest, I am focused on playing in three days and we have to recover these players and prepare as best as possible. It is the only way.” – Javi Gracia

Thankfully, Abdoulaye Doucouré (£6.0m) handed a reward to those who invested in his reliability of starts. The central midfielder did not play a particularly advanced role but was still influential on the game. Deulofeu was the only Watford player to manage more shots in the box than Doucouré against Huddersfield, while none of his colleagues achieved as many successful passes in the attacking third either. That yielded an assist for Deulofeu’s second goal of the afternoon; a third attacking return in four matches.

Despite the joy for owners of a handful of midfield options, there was a bitter disappointment for those who had invested in Watford’s defence. Limiting Huddersfield to just three shots on target, currently the third-worst total in Double Gameweek 35, the Terriers were still able to find the net in the closing stages of stoppage time. It was Karlan Grant (£5.0m) who stole in to deny Watford a first clean sheet since February, and any defensive points for owners of Ben Foster (£4.6m) and his colleagues at the back. It now seems even more unlikely that there will be any more defensive returns for Watford players between now and the end of the season with Wolves, Chelsea and West Ham to come after the Southampton game.

“I was very, very [angry]. I couldn’t believe it. Huddersfield played a good game and showed their pride. I want to be respectful of them and the situation they are living, but we have to improve in that moment and be more demanding. It’s my job to remind them of what they have to do.” – Javi Gracia

The main thing learned from a Huddersfield perspective was what they are likely to provide Liverpool with on Friday. Their trip to Anfield has been long-targeted as an opportunity to deploy the Triple Captain chip, and it should stay that way ahead of Gameweek 36.

Huddersfield Town XI (4-4-1-1): Lössl; Durm, Kongolo, Schindler, T Smith; Mbenza (Löwe 81′), Hogg (Daly 41′), Bacuna, Kachunga; Mooy; Mounié (Grant 65′).

Watford XI (4-4-2): Foster; Masina, Cathcart, Mariappa, Kiko Femenía; Sema, Capoue, Doucouré, Hughes (Navarro 90+2′); A Gray (Success 72′), Deulofeu (Chalobah 83′).