Alongside Bournemouth, Watford were the other team to be automatically promoted from the second tier last season. But the Hornets couldn’t have done things much more different to Eddie Howe’s side and as they gear up for a campaign under new manager Quique Flores, this team is very much an unknown quantity.

Indeed, Flores is Watford’s fifth manager in the space of 12 months. The Spaniard comes with substantial pedigree after winning the Europa League in 2010 with Atletico Madrid, but it’s his work earlier in his managerial career which has most likely attracted the attentions of the Watford hierarchy; Flores guided a newly promoted Getafe to 13th place in La Liga.

Watford are going to need a job of similar astuteness. After all, if a new manager wasn’t tough enough to deal with, the Hornets have signed a whopping 10 players at the time of writing and the challenge of amalgamating all those new faces into a cohesive unit represents a daunting prospect.

Nonetheless, it’s wonderful to have a club as steeped in tradition as Watford back in the big time. Given all the goings on at Vicarage Road during the summer break, there’s almost certainly set to be a gripping season on the cards for the Premier League new boys.

 

Best XI

 

Reasons to be Positive

Although we’ve seen a lot of new faces come into the squad this summer, Flores must ensure he doesn’t deviate too much from the principles which put Watford in this position. That was an attacking brand of football put in place by former boss Slavisa Jokanovic, with Troy Deeney, Odion Ighalo and Matej Vydra tearing up the second tier.

The Hornets also made some sound purchases in their plethora of summer signings. Etienne Capoue, who is still a quality player despite failing to shine at Tottenham Hotspur, and former West Ham United man Valon Behrami are set to anchor a new-look midfield. The pair have the experience and quality to help Watford get a grip of games.

 

Reasons to be Negative

Getting so many new players to gel so quickly is going to be extremely difficult for Flores, especially when you consider it’ll be the Madrid-born manager’s first shot at the Premier League himself. If the team doesn’t click early on, the the Watford board have shown on many occasions that they have no problem wielding the axe.

There may also be a problem when it comes to languages in the dressing room and out on the pitch. Flores may have said otherwise, but when there are a staggering 20 different nationalities in the squad, a variety of dialects can be thrown around. In a group which has endured a major recent facelift, that’s a far from ideal scenario for the manager.

 

 

Key Player – Etienne Capoue 

Despite not living up to expectations at Spurs, getting the Frenchman on board is a fantastic coup for Watford. Flores will make Capoue a key member of his first team, giving the 27-year-old a chance to showcase the talent which saw him rated as one of Europe’s most exciting emerging midfielders during his time with Toulouse.

For a team that’s likely to be under heavy pressure in a lot of matches, Capoue’s defensive qualities at the base of the midfield will be tested to breaking point. Some sparkling displays in Ligue 1 suggest he is capable of handling that responsibility, but at this juncture, his outings in the Premier League have left much to be desired.

 

Prediction – 17th

Watford’s style shouldn’t really work and the football purists that’d encourage a club coming up to build a squad slowly will be backing them to fail. But of all the promoted teams in the top flight this season, the Hornets have invested the most and crucially, have brought in some quality too.

If Flores can steer Watford to a strong start—the fixture list has been pretty kind to the Hornets—players like Behrami, Capoue, Jose Holebas and Steven Berghuis, to name but a few, will make a real difference for this team. I’m backing the Hornets to beat the odds and extend their stay at English football’s top table.

 

Expert Opinion – James Ferrier (World Soccer Talk)

A team which goes against the usual. Owned by the Pozzo family, who also run football team Udinese, share the younger players between the two teams. The season of their promotion they had a total of four managers in charge of the club, if things aren’t going right the Pozzo’s are very quick to get rid and start again. The system doesn’t usually work in the footballing world but Watford got extremely lucky and made it into the Premier League.

The signings aren’t extremely ambitious with Steven Berghuis, Valon Behrami and Jose Holebas being the highlights, not exactly household names. The manager Quique Flores is completely new to the club and the league, although he has managed high profile clubs, Valencia and Benfica as just an example, he is entering isn’t exactly one where you can make mistakes while you’re learning. You have to hit the ground running and I feel this is where Watford will slip up.

With harsh ownership, new management and a squad new to the Premier League this will be a hard lesson for Watford.