#2 Watford’s lack of plan B proves costly
Trending
Watford had won each of their three previous Premier League games without conceding a goal in front of their own supporters, but this proved a step too far. Walter Mazzarri set his side up in a 3-5-2 formation designed to frustrate Liverpool, with plenty of bodies packed in the centre of the pitch and the two wing-backs taking up conservative positions without the ball.
The approach worked well for much of the opening 45 minutes, although Watford fans would have wanted to see their team create a little more against opponents who have not exactly been known for their defensive solidity this campaign. As soon as Can scored, however, the game plan needed to change, yet Mazzarri was unable to engineer a turnaround with an alteration of personnel or tactics.
The lack of a plan B has been a familiar criticism of the Italian throughout his debut year in English football, and it is hard to shake the feeling that the former Napoli and Inter boss could have done much more to put Liverpool under greater pressure after the interval.
Instead, the Hornets did not record a shot from inside the box until the 68th minute, and although Prodl smashed the crossbar in stoppage time, Liverpool were pretty comfortable throughout.
