Watford may be promotion contenders, but there’s still plenty of work to be done at Vicarage Road

After seeing their five-year stay in the English top-flight come to an end last season, Watford were seen as strong contenders for an instant return to the Premier League this campaign. 

Two games into their Championship campaign and the Hornets have shown promise, particularly at the back, but the main area for concern is goal scoring. One goal scored in two outings against opposition, with all respect, of midtable quality will concern the Watford fanbase.

It was a stalemate 0-0 draw with the Hornets coming up against a rugged Sheffield Wednesday side, who are aiming to turn around a 12 point deficit at the foot of the division.

Vladimir Ivic will be glad to see his Watford tenure start with back-to-back clean sheets in the league, and will be hoping the foundations are being laid down upon which he will hope to build a promotion-achieving outfit. The performances of Craig Cathcart, Ben Wilmot and Christian Kabasele have been solid enough, in fact Watford’s only league goal thus far was scored by Cathcart. Now it’s up to Watford strikeforce to start showing up.

After an impressive performance in Watford’s season opener against Middlesbrough, Brazilian wonderkid Joao Pedro once again showed glimpses of his talent. But overall the match would’ve certainly given the 18-year-old a taste of what to expect in the Championship.

Summer loan signing Glenn Murray will also be seen as a vital goal output this season considering the veteran’s infamous scoring record in English football. However, it was a game to forget for the 36-year-old striker at Hillsborough as he was handed his first league start for the Hornets.

But it’s not just on the pitch where there’s work to be done, off the pitch there’s still a long checklist that Ivic and the Watford board will be keen to complete in the next few weeks.

Watford’s absentee list on Saturday was just shy of twenty players which is frankly absurd. They’ve not been blessed with fortune in the medical room, but the main issue is finding suitors for wantaway players.

With the pain of relegation still very raw, the Hertfordshire club have to put emotion to one side and make sure that they get such players off of their books to free up space on the wage bill.

Troy Deeney, Etienne Capoue and Gerrard Deulofeu are three of a handful of names who are rumoured to want a move away from Vicarage Road, but with the transfer window closing in just a matter of weeks, pressure will be building on the Watford board by the day until the conclusion of the window on the 5th of October.

Like with many clubs, Watford will exhale a colossal sigh of relief once the transfer window slams shut. Trying to rally a squad of players to push for promotion whilst others are pushing moves away is a tricky ask for new manager Ivic; it’s a predicament that no manager wants.

It’s early days in the season and problems shown by Watford are certainly solvable, it’s just a case of sooner rather than later for the Hornets.

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