Watford’s suspect defence adds to Wolves’ appeal for Gameweek 36

Shane Long scored the fastest goal in Premier League history on Tuesday evening as Southampton and Watford played out a 1-1 draw.

The Irish striker scored after 7.69 seconds at Vicarage Road but the Saints were denied all three points by an 89th-minute equaliser from Andre Gray.

We discuss the main Fantasy talking points from this fixture in our Scout Notes article below.

Watford 1-1 Southampton

• Goals: Andre Gray (£6.0m) | Shane Long (£4.6m)
• Assists: Daryl Janmaat (£4.9m) | None

Watford are without a clean sheet in nine Premier League matches after their 1-1 draw with Southampton on Tuesday evening.

The Hornets are the only top-flight club without a shut-out from Gameweek 27 onwards and have conceded more goals in that time than all bar the three sides in the bottom three.

The defensive frailties go back further: Javi Gracia’s side have conceded the most “big chances” of all 20 Premier League clubs in 2019.

Just two sides have allowed more attempts on target and shots in the box this calendar year, with only Fulham having allowed more efforts overall.

While Southampton’s goal on Tuesday was one that can perhaps be shrugged off as a freak occurrence (although there were similarities to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s goal in Gameweek 34), the Hornets’ defence looked fragile for the rest of the first half especially and prompted a half-time substitution from Gracia.

Shane Long (£4.6m) charged down Craig Cathcart‘s (£4.5m) attempted long pass to put the Saints 1-0 up after less than eight seconds and Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side could have been out of sight by the interval.

The visitors created four of what Opta deem big chances before the break, with Long nodding a James Ward-Prowse (£5.1m) cross wide from inside the six-yard box and Nathan Redmond (£5.4m) striking the post via a telling touch from Ben Foster (£4.6m).

Ryan Bertrand (£4.8m) also struck the upright from close range, while Redmond forced Foster into an excellent stop with a powerfully struck effort from a narrow angle.

Wolves and Chelsea face Watford in the next two Gameweeks and the performance of the Hornets’ backline in Tuesday’s game (and before then) will surely fill owners of assets from these two clubs with more optimism heading into those games.

Rotation might be a worry for Wolves players, of course, given Nuno Espirito Santo’s previous comments about the third match in a three-game week being one that “requires attention”.

It should be said that Watford improved at the back after the break, although Southampton naturally regressed into more defensive positions and offered less going forward as they looked to protect their 1-0 lead.

Gracia switched to a 3-5-2 at half-time, the second time he has experimented with that formation in as many Gameweeks (the Hornets began in that shape against Arsenal last Monday).

Cathcart, who experienced a torrid opening 45 minutes, was sacrificed for Kiko Femenia (£4.2m) at the break, with Daryl Janmaat (£4.9m), Christian Kabasele (£4.4m) and Adam Masina (£4.3m) making up the three-man central defence and Femenia and Roberto Pereyra (£5.9m) providing width on the flanks.

Gracia admitted that his side were second-best in the first half explained his tactical changes in his post-match press conference, saying:

The first goal was very strange. We conceded an early goal and after, in my opinion, Southampton played better. They could have killed the game in that period.

In the second [half], we tried to change something and I think we found a better balance playing that way.

When asked about a “lack of concentration” for Long’s goal, Gracia said:

We have conceded in the last two [home] games, two similar goals. If you speak about players like Ben Foster or Craig Cathcart, they are players who very concentrated.

It’s something that happens sometimes. You ever know exactly why. I’m sure in the next games these players and the rest of the team will be very focused and try to avoid mistakes.

We have been used to seeing Watford in a narrow 4-4-2 in 2018/19 but we will have to monitor Gracia’s use of 3-5-2 in the season run-in.

The Hornets’ boss further discussed his tactics after full-time, adding:

In the second [half], we played better, we found a better balance.

From this new position, we played better, creating some chances to score and take an important point.

We thought before this game, with playing 4-4-2, we found the balance to defend well and to attack well Southampton’s system. But it’s true, we suffer during the first half, we tried to adjust, to change something at half-time.

Andre Gray (£6.0m) and Gerard Deulofeu (£5.6m) were paired up front again in Troy Deeney‘s (£5.9m) absence and it was Gray who grabbed Watford’s equaliser, firing high past Angus Gunn (£4.3m) after the ball bobbled off Janmaat.

Gray had missed an excellent chance after just two minutes, firing straight at Gunn from 12 yards and then unable to divert the rebound in with his head.

Gracia said of Gray:

Andre always is there, ready to score in the last minutes. In some games at home, he has scored important goals for the team and today he did it again. It is not a surprise for us. He is a good striker, good player, good scorer.

To play without Troy is different for us, because you have to look for other ways to attack and to create chances. But I think we have other players with different qualities.

Deulofeu was unable to add to the brace he scored on Saturday but he was a busy presence, twice firing narrowly wide of Gunn’s goal in the first half.

Although the pair have three goals between them in Gameweek 35, they didn’t really convince as a strike duo against the Saints and the absence of Deeney was keenly felt.

Southampton deserve credit for their display, with Hasenhuttl praising the reaction of his players after the 3-1 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday.

The Saints’ boss said:

It was a very good signal after the game on Saturday where I was really not happy about the first half where were not aggressive enough.

I think today they listened very well.

Redmond was unfortunate not to deliver an attacking return for his owners, not only striking the woodwork himself but also providing the excellent cross from which Bertrand hit the upright.

Ward-Prowse, again playing as a wing-back with Yan Valery (£4.1m) only among the substitutes, set Redmond up for his “big chance” and also tested Foster with a late free-kick.

Long started in place of Danny Ings (£5.4m), playing just ahead of Stuart Armstrong (£5.1m) and Redmond up front in Hasenhuttl’s 3-4-2-1.

The Southampton boss explained his decision after the game, saying:

The last games [Long] played very well and now he deserves to play from the beginning.

Ingsy played against Newcastle but two games in three days is too much for his muscles and that was the reason I wanted to bring in Shane from the beginning and I think he will not forget this game.

On Long (who was substituted with an injury in the second half), Hasenhuttl added:

I think he has a little bit the image that he doesn’t score so much but in the last four games three goals. It’s amazing and an amazing performance he shows in the moment.

I think that the game we play in the moment and the style of football with ball wins and immediate transition forward and deep runs is something he likes to play because he is very quick.

He is also an intelligent player and knows exactly the position you must be if you win the ball to be dangerous for opponents.

I think he is not only this but our target man at the moment because he knows very well how to use his body to keep the ball and be our target man.

Jannik Vestergaard (£4.6m) again missed out for the Saints through injury, so Jack Stephens (£4.2m) continued alongside Maya Yoshida (£4.1m) and Jan Bednarek (£4.0m) at centre-half.

The Saints’ backline restricted Watford to few clear sights of goal after Gray’s early double-chance and when Premier League clubs are filtered by their last six matches, only Leicester and Manchester City have allowed fewer “big chances” than Southampton.

Watford XI (4-4-2): Foster; Janmaat, Cathcart (Femenia 46′), Kabasele, Masina; Hughes (Success 76′), Doucoure, Capoue, Pereyra; Gray, Deulofeu.

Southampton XI (3-4-2-1): Gunn; Stephens, Bednarek, Yoshida; Ward-Prowse, Romeu (Lemina 73′), Hojbjerg, Bertrand; Armstrong (Sims 67′); Redmond; Long (Valery 78′).