Premier League season preview: Watford

After a decent start in the Premier League and a deep run in the FA Cup, Watford crumbled near the end of last season. Here is a look at what 2016-17 could hold for the Hornets.

INS: Christian Kabasele (€6.95 million, Genk), Jerome Sinclair (free, Liverpool), Isaac Success (€15 million, Granada) Brice Dja Djédjé (€3.6 million, Marseille) and Juan Zúñiga (loan from Napoli)

OUTS: Miguel Layun (€10 million, FC Porto), Joel Ekstrand (unsigned), Jose Manuel Jurado (€1.2 million, Espanyol), Daniel Pudil (Sheffield Wednesday) Almen Abdi (€3.6 million, Sheffield Wednesday)

THE STORY: Two seasons ago, Watford were in the English second division, and had only enjoyed a couple of seasons in the Premier League in club history. They were a typical mid-table Championship team, occasionally challenging for promotion, but mostly worn down by the grind of life in the second tier. Then, in 2014-15, despite a rotating cast of managers, Watford secured automatic promotion with a second-place finish.

Leicester’s fairytale run to the title last season took most of the attention away from the other smaller clubs in the league, but Watford managed to finish in a very respectable 13th place — the highest finish among all three newly-promoted sides.

They owed most of their modest success to Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo. The two strikers were Watford’s best players last season and their combined 28 goals were the biggest single reason the Hornets were able to stay in the division. The two were so dominant that Watford’s third top scorer, Sebastian Prödl, finished the season with only two goals.

Watford’s English striker Troy Deeney (R) celebrates with Watford’s Nigerian striker Odion Ighalo after scoring their second goal from the penalty spot during the English Premier League football match between Watford and Sunderland at Vicarage Road Stadium in Watford, north of London on May 15, 2016. / AFP / OLLY GREENWOOD / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read OLLY GREENWOOD/AFP/Getty Images) /

The Hornets started the season with three straight draws against Everton, West Brom and Southampton, before losing to Manchester City 2-0. But what looked like a worrying start at the time began to appear much more impressive after they won eight of their next 13 games from September to December.

However, the Watford train was halted by a four-game losing streak from December 28 – January 18, and things didn’t get much better after that. In total, the Hornets managed only four victories, and 16 points, in the second half of the season, a run of form that eventually saw manager Quique Sanchez Flores out of a job.

Flores’ position wasn’t helped by a spate of January signing that failed to impress. Watford brought in some talented players in Mario Suarez (Fiorentina), Nordin Amrabat (Malaga) and Costel Pantilimon (Sunderland), none of whom stood out in the league. An impressive run to the FA Cup semifinal provided a welcome distraction, but it was not enough to save Flores from a trigger-happy board that has now hired seven managers since 2013.

2016-17 will be a big year for Watford. The rest of the league is now well aware of the damage Deeney and Ighalo can do, and will mark them much more closely. The Hornets have been relatively busy in the transfer market (they have brought in five players so far), but the additions are all either new to the Premier League (and the country), inexperienced or both.

The team stumbled in the second half of last season because their defense let them down — they conceded 32 goals in their final 18 games compared to 18 in their first 18 — and so far, the club have only signed two (unproven) defenders this summer, a centre-back and a right back. Deeney and Ighalo should be able to provide the necessary scoring threat, but if Watford want to stay in the Premier League, they will have to improve at the back.

KEY PLAYER: Deeney and Ighalo are probably equally important, but Deeney is the captain and a fan favorite, and he will set the tone for this team going forward. He scored 13 goals last season (second only to Ighalo’s 15) and added five assists. Perhaps even more important, his work rate off the ball consistently open ups space for his strike partner. 2015-16 was Deeney’s first ever season in the Premier League and he was hugely impressive. That Watford were willing to turn down a £25 million offer for his services earlier this summer tells you everything you need to know about Deeney’s importance to this club.

MANAGER: After parting ways with Flores at the end of last season, Watford announced the appointment of Walter Mazzarri in May. Mazzarri helped guide his Napoli side to a 2011-12 Coppa Italia and a second place finish in the Serie A in 2012-13. Most recently, he spent a season and a half at Inter, before getting sacked with the club in ninth place. He will now need to deal with a skeptical fan base who thought Flores did well in his first season with Watford, and was let go too early. If Mazzarri can bring consistent results, a more reliable defense and maybe his Italian charm to the Hornets, then you never know, maybe Watford can be the new Leicester.

BEST CASE: Deeney and Ighalo continue firing on all cylinders and the new signings impress. A top 10 finish should please the Watford board. It will certainly please the fans.

WORST CASE: Mazzari struggles to rally his team, Deeney and Ighalo fail to score 10 goals combined, and the team falls into a relegation scrap.

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