Tottenham playing Watford at the right time: Opposition scouting report

Tottenham look for their first away victory in the Premier League since beating Newcastle on Oct. 17 when they travel to Vicarage Road to face Watford. 

Antonio Conte‘s side is facing Watford at an opportune time, which should help the away side’s cause. Watford have lost five in a row and, along with Norwich, are the most out-of-sorts club in the division. Claudio Ranieri’s side are in tatters, losing the last five by a combined total of 15-6.

Only Leeds, Norwich and Newcastle have conceded more goals, with Watford shipping 36 in 18 matches.

What’s even more worrying for Watford is the way they’re losing, especially recently. The very fibre of their defensive character is being questioned after seemingly capitulating against West Ham. There’s a distinct overriding feeling that if you can score one against Watford, you should score three or four. The Hornets have conceded three or more goals four times this season, three of which in their current five-match skid.

The Hornets have also been stung by Covid and are looking at an extensive walking-wounded list, including key man Ismaila Sarr, Christian Kabasele, Ben Foster, Peter Etebo, Nicolas N’Koulou, Kwadwo Baah, Danny Rose and Tom Cleverley, while right-back Kiko Femenia was forced off against West Ham.

Watford’s last victory was a resounding 4-1 victory over Manchester United, which happened to be Ole Gunnar Solskjær‘s final match in charge of the Red Devils. So, regardless of United’s numerous misgivings in that contest, Ranieri’s side have shown they can put a solid outing together.

Expect a more resolute defensive effort from Watford

After shipping four goals against the Hammers on Tuesday, expect Ranieri to do everything in his power to compress the pitch and keep it tight. Ranieri will know intimately Tottenham’s current struggles to break compact, organized defences down away from home, and he’ll put the onus on Antonio Conte’s men to find a way through.

Ranieri, since taking charge of Watford in early October, hasn’t really deviated from his preferred 4-1-4-1 formation. The one time he did, changing to a 5-4-1 against Liverpool on Oct. 16, saw Watford thrashed 5-0 by a rampant Liverpool side.

Based on his recent defensive woes, he might contemplate tinkering with his formation for Saturday’s contest. His preferred 4-1-4-1 isn’t working. Though Ranieri will probably feel the recent ineffectiveness of his system is more down to personnel limitations than a formational flaw.

Watford have the joint-second worst home record in the division, taking just seven points from nine matches at Vicarage Road. Conte should feel quietly confident going into this must-win contest.