Watford v West Brom - Lewis Cox preview

1 year ago

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00:00Like his fans, we've just spoken with Carlos Corberan in his press conference ahead of Sunday's trip down for Watford.

00:06For Watford's sixth-placed Albion against the eighth-placed hosts at Vicarage Road on Sunday.

00:13Albion are in a better place, aren't they, after the last couple of games?

00:16I think, obviously at point, it was against high-flying tabletoppers Sheffield United at the Hawthorns last week.

00:22In a game, Albion played well in, performance levels up again, more attacking, more offensive, which was good to see.

00:29Obviously, the midweek win against Coventry City was just the tonic, really, wasn't it?

00:33There was only that one win in, what was it, 13 games prior to facing the Sky Blues.

00:38So, a much-needed victory, a much-needed boost, I think, for all involved.

00:44If not the dressing room, then certainly around the club in the stands.

00:47As I say, the tests get no easier, do they, going down to Watford on Sunday, who, for my money, are a club.

00:54I mean, Carlos Corbijn has just underlined that there.

00:56A club that had the possibility, certainly, to be in and around, pushing for the Premier League.

01:02You look through their squad, it still seems like it's got a load of Premier League players in it,

01:06players that were playing for the Hornets when they were in the top flight.

01:09Under Tom Cleverley, obviously a former player, a former Man U England man, only 35, Tom Cleverley, doing well.

01:15He was an interim boss after Valerian Ismail, ironically.

01:20Ismail went in March and Cleverley was appointed on a caretaker basis and then got the job in April.

01:26Doing really well, as I say, he's got them.

01:28They had a flying start to the season, a little dip, but he's got them up to eighth, just one point behind Albion.

01:32So, that's how tight it is in and around the end of those play-off places.

01:37One key stat about Watford that Carlos Corbijn liked in his press conference today is they're actually,

01:41since Cleverley took over in March, actually unbeaten at home since then.

01:46And what are we, mid-December now?

01:47So, that's quite the record tomorrow and Corbijn said, look, we're going to be,

01:52we're going to try and be the team that breaks that, that goes against the grain in that regard.

01:56That's some run that, isn't it?

01:58I know we've had the summer, but the best part of, if not longer than six, seven, eight months, not losing at home.

02:03So, they clearly know what they're doing in front of their own fans

02:06and it will be a really tough one for Albion to go and break down.

02:09I'll just bring you, before I go, getting dark here again, as you can see with these three o'clock press conferences,

02:15Corbijn in good form today and gave a lot of interesting, sort of, if not game-specific bits,

02:21bit more you can read over the next, certainly early part of next week on our website.

02:27So, keep an eye out for that.

02:28We'll be writing that in the coming days.

02:29But the immediate team news from today is not great, really, actually.

02:34It's in the form of a couple of individuals.

02:36One is Grady Deangana, who we've been speaking about in these video updates

02:40and injury news and fitness news for some time.

02:44But I'll start with the other one and it's Carlan Grant.

02:46It's the man of the moment, actually.

02:47It's a superb goal, wasn't it, for him the other day.

02:50He's one of, if not the player of the season for Albion in superb form.

02:54He's a doubt, Carlos has told us in there, he's a doubt for Sunday.

02:59Just feeling fatigue, specifically in his hamstrings, but not a hamstring injury,

03:05just sort of muscle fitness, physical fatigue because of it.

03:09He's gone a lot this season, hasn't he?

03:11He's had to do a lot of minutes, play a lot of football.

03:14He was out on the wing to start the season and now he's one of the front two strikers

03:19and he's feeling it.

03:20He wasn't ruled out.

03:21He's just a doubt and remains to be seen whether he'll get the nod tomorrow

03:26or whether it's just a little bit of gamesmanship, potentially,

03:30from inside the building here to just make Watford a little bit unsure.

03:35But, yes, Grant's been rated a doubt and that is a blow,

03:38the way he's playing at the moment, certainly.

03:40We know Josh Madger went off at half-time the other day, the other night,

03:44the top scorer on Madger.

03:46He should be OK, Corbijn said.

03:48The fact he played only 45 the other night seemed to suggest he should be fresh enough

03:52to go, if needed, from the off on Sunday.

03:55And he may well be needed, mightn't he, now that Grant's got that doubt next to his name.

04:00I mentioned Dean Garner.

04:02Positive news on him, actually.

04:03Now I'm a bit reluctant because Monday, when I brought this video ahead of the Coventry game,

04:08it was, well, Dean Garner's returned to training, they're upbeat,

04:11they're hopeful he can come through Tuesday and he'll be fine for Cov.

04:13He wasn't.

04:14He was still feeling the effects of that cough.

04:16It's frustrating everyone.

04:18Same as, really.

04:19He's trained well and the hope and expectation is Sunday he can be on the bench.

04:23So watch this space for that.

04:25Hopefully it's not a repeat of earlier this week when we say he's fine

04:28and everything crossed and it doesn't go well.

04:30But, yes, the message again is that he's trained today and feeling OK.

04:36And the hope is that he's coming towards an end and feeling OK with this sort of mysterious cough problem

04:42and the pain near the nerve.

04:44So hopeful on that one.

04:45Hopeful on Grant.

04:46Let's see.

04:47Albion really want him available, don't they?

04:49He's in such superb form and such a difficult game.

04:51And test at the end of a three-game week down at Watford.

04:54We'll be there.

04:55You'll be glad to hear.

04:56So make sure to follow along with us on the socials, on the website,

04:59for all the matchday coverage.

05:00And, yes, see you from Hertfordshire.

Watford v West Brom - Lewis Cox preview

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