Saturday, 11 January 2020

Will the Nigel Pearson bubble burst?

Watford have had quite a revival under Nigel Pearson. The managerial bounce factor has well and truly landed at Vicarage Road. But how long does such a bounce last? Nigel Pearson came in at Watford on 7 December and since then the Hornets have managed to pick up 10 points from five games. It has seen Watford rise to within three pints of safety and Bournemouth have a big job to do to halt the resurgence of the yellow and black shirts.
AFCB need to find the back of the net on Sunday.
To some extent Watford's bubble lost a bit of air when Tranmere Rovers came back to earn a 3-3 draw in the FA Cup last weekend, having been 3-0 down to Nigel Pearson's side. Pearson just laughed it off, but he may be starting to wonder if he has started to lose some of his invincibility. That game was also important for the red card that was handed out to Roberto Prereyra, but the card was overturned this week and Prereyra will now be available to play against the Cherries, which is a bit of bad news for AFCB.
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While Watford have been impressive at home, they haven't found it as easy to win games away with Pearson only picking up one point on the road. That may give Bournemouth a slight advantage in the betting stakes and Bournemouth have started to score again in home matches. Bournemouth could well be meeting Watford at a good time if they can get players back and halt the Hornets rise. Losing to Bournemouth would be a big blow for Watford and they could start to feel that catching teams like Bournemouth is going to be beyond them if they come away from Dean Court with nothing.

Pearson has got Watford organised and defending. It has enabled them to stay in games and get a few results. But Pearson will start to come under pressure when he doesn't pick up points. Everything has gone pretty well for Watford since Pearson has come in. There just might be some hope for Bournemouth if they can burst Watford's bubble this weekend.

AFCB Home Form
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Watford Away Form
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AFCB Match Preview


3 comments:

  1. Sorry but this report is wishful thinking! The Tranmere game was full of U23’s and players trying to get back to full fitness. Current first team players were not even on the bench. To say Watford had a blip is completely unrealistic and untrue. Reality check required!

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  2. It was 'a bit of a blip', if you are going to quote me. You seem to forget that Watford were 3-0 up and drew 3-3 against a League One team, even if it was not their usual starting 11. No, no you must be right - Nigel Pearson would have wanted a replay after being 3-0 up!

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  3. Watford playing virtual reserve team

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