'A set back': Lewis Cox & Jonny Drury analyse West Brom's defeat to Watford

1 year ago

Lewis Cox and Jonny Drury bring you their take on Albion's 2-1 defeat to Watford.
Albion went to Watford looking to end the Hornets' long unbeaten run at home.
It was an entertaining first period where both sides had chances, but Watford led at the break through Vakoun Bayo.
Albion started the second half poorly and fell further behind as Bayo bagged his second - before Jayson Molumby got the Baggies back in the game.
But they could not find an equaliser and they fell to their first defeat since October 1.

Transcript

00:00Baggies fans, welcome to ExpressAndStart.com, I'm here at Vicarage Road alongside Lewis

00:13Cox after Albion have lost, no draws, not a win, they've lost for the first time since

00:19October the 1st here at Watford, 7th against 8th, it's 8th that prevail and now 7th, and

00:28Albion drop down, Albion did score the second half, Jason Mowenby pulled one back but it

00:33was 2-0 down by that point, I could not get back into the game. Coxie, an old cliche for

00:39me of a game of maybe not two halves for Watford but certainly for Albion, very good in the

00:45first half, not as good in the second. I honestly thought that, like you say, we both thought

00:54that Albion were good in the first half actually, possibly edged it, Watford hit the bar before

01:00they goal but Albion probably for me had more moments, weren't clinical enough, specifically

01:05on the stroke of half time, biggest chance of the game really, certainly for Albion where

01:10Grant couldn't get out of his feet and Carlos has just said to me in there, that goes in,

01:15we're talking about a different result, probably a different game. Apologies for the noise,

01:23we've got about four mowers behind us, and a plane, and a plane's just gone over it.

01:27I think, we were speaking about the game's opening goal very quickly, a shocker from

01:33Albion's perspective, balls crossed into the box. And the field is allowed to run 40 yards

01:37at the backfield as well. Albion have three centre-halves today, they play about five,

01:43three towering centre-halves, crossing from the left. Stryker, Baio, Watford, top scorer

01:49who scored both goals today, allowed a free header from the three centre-halves. I mean

01:52that's just a shocker really, and people might overlook that, but that shouldn't happen at

01:56all, and undoes a lot of the good work, hard work from the first half. Sometimes it feels

02:02like it's hard work for Albion to score a goal I think at times, and that was so painfully

02:08easy that first goal. But then, Albion should equalise on the show for half-time, they deserve

02:13something, it would have been the fair result on half-time, they didn't manage to do it.

02:17There's a change at half-time, Stiles went off for Johnston, which we'll get into, I

02:21know you've got a feeling on that, and Corbyn's just said to me there, look, I wanted an attacking

02:26winger like Johnston on the pitch, because we were in those positions, rather than someone

02:29like Stiles. Stiles did fine for me, as well, it changed the formation, I think Carlos said

02:35he wanted to also match them up, but for whatever reason, whether it was tactical or not, Watford

02:41dominated the first 10-15 minutes of that second half. They could have got a second,

02:46it's a Palmer save, they did get a second, they could have then had a third, could have

02:51been four, yeah they played it all around Albion for 10-15 minutes, really dominated

02:57that period. What we must mention and get onto is the second Watford goal, which has

03:01proved decisive, 2-1, shouldn't have counted. Gavin Ward, the referee, missed the foul on

03:06Josh Madger, I think he must have been trapping back in that moment, just before Bayo the

03:10striker gets his shot away for the second goal. What I would say, I saw the foul live,

03:15and my vision's not the best, so I could see it from miles away. The ref was right there,

03:20I did only see Kyle Bartley protesting, for me that was a blatant one where you want all

03:24the players screaming in the ref's face, but they didn't bother and nothing was overturned.

03:28Ward was not popular at all, certainly with that away end, and deservedly so.

03:32I do think you've got to defend a box better, but it was a foul, but you mentioned there

03:36what I've said about the system, you looked at it on paper, Albion played 4-5-1, I expect

03:40Albion to sit in, soak pressure, play on the break, they didn't do that, they came out,

03:45they had a right good go, arguably for me I wasn't at Sheppard United, but Albion were

03:49as good in going forward today as they've been for me since that first six games, maybe

03:55apart from Cardiff where they battered Cardiff. So that's why I was so surprised, why he took

04:00Stiles off, who for me, a lot went through Stiles in that first half, as it did Fellows,

04:05but it felt like a case of, if it's not broke, don't fix it. Hats off to Corbrandt for going

04:12a bit more attacking and playing 4-4-2, but Albion looked a shambles at the start of that

04:15second half. I feel bad coming out here and criticising Corbrandt for chucking on Johnstone

04:22and taking Stiles off, but Stiles was having a great game and Albion were looking good,

04:26I thought they looked dangerous even though they were playing 5-5-1 at the back, and it

04:29felt that, I'm not saying that cost Albion the game, but for me it turned the tide, you're

04:332-0 down here, they don't get beat at home, it's a mountain to climb. We're not wanting

04:36to get bogged down too tactically and neither of us want to do that, but Carlos has just

04:39said to me there, Watford played 4-4-2 at the back today, which they never do, so Watford

04:43switched it, and at half-time Corbrandt wanted to do the same, go with the 4-4-2, so perhaps

04:50it's food for thought moving forward that back five, three centre-halves and wing-backs

04:55can do well attacking. We saw it at Sunderland, it's the only time we saw a back five start,

04:59we didn't see any attacking, it was a certain story that night, no defenders, back to the

05:03wall, we saw it today and it got forward well. You say it's a back five, people might say

05:07it sounds negative, but actually it's Callum Stiles playing wherever he wants, all over

05:13the shop, number 10, whatever, and Furlong can attack as well, Albion's right-hand side

05:17and Furlong to Fellers was ripping them apart. But it worked well for Stiles because he had

05:20that protection where he hasn't really got to defend as much because he's got players

05:23behind him, but it's a defeat for Albion, in case they reset and go again, the long

05:28unbeaten runs over, it didn't feel like an unbeaten run at times because they had a lot

05:31of them draws, but yeah, if they reset and go again, it's not the end of the world. Corbrandt

05:35said what I agreed with, after Malumby made it 2-1, still with 20 minutes plus left of

05:40normal time, then six minute stoppages, I thought watching it, I can only really remember

05:45one clear chance after that, and it was stoppage time, Furlong from a corner, and I thought

05:50that Albion were just lacking that composure, that moment to create the chance, to score

05:55the chance, and he said that as well, so it was pretty clear that I thought they lacked that.

06:02I don't think there'll be, it was a big game today, 7 against 8, two clear rivals going

06:07for the same positions, both managers have just said that, so it's a bit deflating on

06:11that part isn't it, what could have a game in hand, but I saw a very competitive game

06:15I think, that on another day, decisions, moments, could have quite easily finished level, and

06:21look, Watford's record here, they haven't been beat here under Cleverley at all since

06:25March, so not defending Albion on that count, but yeah, not just draw, only a third defeat,

06:33some of those draws have felt like defeats at times, haven't they, and one thing I'll

06:37leave a vid on, that I thought was a very interesting line from Carlos in that press

06:43conference, that I'm about to write on, and I don't know if it was sung in chief, but

06:47I sort of mentioned, there haven't been many defeats, we don't really know how the side

06:51will react to defeats yet, I said yes there have been some disappointing draws, and he

06:56said in essence, in a nutshell, in a roundabout way, maybe we should have, maybe some of those

07:04draws should have been valued more, and had more value on them, and it didn't surprise

07:10me he said that, he's put some emphasis on that before, not all draws are tragedies or

07:16negative or disasters, I understand what he's saying, and he certainly would have taken

07:19one there in the closing stages, but not to be, and thankful for this week off, now before

07:26Bristol City next Sunday, because it's a welcome week off, but then it goes into the Christmas

07:30week of free games, doesn't it, and Albion I think in part look a little bit weary to

07:35me, a bit tired, and maybe that should be no surprise, because the depth hasn't been

07:39able to be relied on this season has it, the options to come in have tend to weaken

07:44the side unfortunately, and that is a problem, I think we all know that, hopefully one that

07:48can be rectified in January, just a shame, leaving empty handed today.

07:52Yes, a couple of embarrassing collapses from the neighbours yesterday, not quite a collapse

07:58here but a bit of a bump in the road for Albion, final score Watford 2 Albion 1, all the rest

08:04of the reaction head to ExpressingStar.com

'A set back': Lewis Cox & Jonny Drury analyse West Brom's defeat to Watford

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