Since his insertion to the team last December, new Watford boss Nigel Pearson has done nothing than to improve his team. The Team is Family and saw a different pace heading into this year with a deeper mentality and stronger hope.
From being nine points down in the relegation in the Premier League table, the Watford Hornets suddenly came alive and broke the news after coming up with a four-game unbeaten run to finish 2019.
Since that disappointing loss to the Reds, the Hornets have been very impressive in the field with Pearson at the helm. They managed to claim a 2-0 clean sheet win over Manchester United, followed by a draw against Sheffield.
They ended 2019 with a 3-0 clean sheet win against Aston Villa. They opened the new year with a 2-1 win against the Wolves on New Year’s Day.
No one would have thought that they only needed a 59-year-old coach to help them solve their season woes. The team has struggled in the season’s start under former boss Quique Sanchez Flores and has failed to win at home before Pearson came in.
Bet on Watford’s upcoming matches in the Premier League- Team is Family
On the verge of sinking down in relegation, Pearson’s work could have been the saving spell that the team needed as they continue to make their push in the Premier league table in hopes of escaping the relegation.
Pearson himself believes that the team is more like a family to him now.
‘I’ve been asked a few times already about whether I had still got enthusiasm, or the drive or whatever or what it is to continue to work and those are the sorts of questions that I’ve asked myself for sure’, said Pearson. ‘I wouldn’t be here if I firstly didn’t think we were capable of getting out of the situation that we’re in, but I can’t ask people to be committed if I’m not committed myself, so all those things are very important to me and I think this club has got a really strong identity and there’s potential for us to rediscover what we are as a football club. I do feel attached to being a part of that and trying to rediscover that’.
See Pearson’s effect on his players to start the year
He had a lasting impact on the team. Watford was nothing like it was compared to Sanchez Flores’ time with them. They were stretching the field, making long and quick passes, and that has shaped the Hornets’ identity right now. They were something brand new going into the second half of the season.
‘There’s no magic formula to going out there and making changes, the players have played really well in most of our games and I just think for us, I’m loathed to start speaking in terms of how things have changed’, said Pearson. ‘We’ll see how they’ve changed at the end of the season if we are able to retain our Premier League status and we’ve given ourselves a better chance with some results, but it really is about trying to sustain that and the players have applied themselves exceptionally well’.
‘I’m really pleased with not just their approach to games’, he continued. ‘But how they’ve approached working day-to-day on the training field and dealing with a very hectic games programme as well which has been really tough for us, as it is for everybody, but there’s lots and lots of hard work still to be done for sure’.
‘It’s an emotional attachment with the job as well’, Pearson added.
