I was considering searching for some of my previous posts from match threads last season and simply copying and pasting comments.
It's not all doom and gloom as some people may try to make out, but it was a far from pleasing performance. Too many of the same problems.
First half was lethargic and Watford quite easily applied the strategy that many others adopted last season: sit deep and let us pass it aimlessly.
I could easily mention a few names of players who looked off canter, yet primarily it was our overall approach that made it cringe worthy viewing.
It was the same old approach: no width; laboured passing; little directness; aimless balls to a centre forward who struggles in the air.
Second half was a marked improvement on the first where the majority of the lads seemed more eager. Kone and Oviedo clearly helped late on!
Nevertheless it was still a difficult watch as again width wasn't used effectively (should be a strength) and too many wasted balls lofted forward.
First game of the season and it seemed as if we were void of ideas; this is probably the aspect that worried me the most! Same old, same old.
Defensively it wasn't too convincing either. Great teams are built from the back, but as always we looked lacking and overly frail.
Maybe it was a fault of some pre-season carry, although I watched other teams yesterday they seem so much more fluid, direct and entertaining.
We've got some difficult opposition coming up and if we continue to adopt our standard ineffective approach then we're going to struggle.
If Mirallas is injured as many may suspect, then we will have absolutely no width at all. This will just nullify us even more than we were yesterday.
We need new faces to add genuine width, some creativity and pace (off the ball and with passing) and there needs to be competition at the back.
Positives were Galloway, Kone getting a goal and some guile shown. We scored two as well. Yet against Watford are they good enough?
