Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Watford (and other preview bits)

I didn’t write about last weekend’s game as I watched it on my phone on an iffy 4g connection on the train, so I didn’t have the best perspective from which to judge the action. So this game marks the blog’s return to action after the World Cup hiatus. 

Town sit bottom of the table and in desperate need of points or they risk being cut adrift from those above them on the table. Yet it isn’t likely to be easy to get them today against a team that are so far above them in the table.

Here’s my preview of the game…

Predicted Huddersfield Town XI to take on Watford

Fozzy Bear’s hands are tied somewhat for his selection today, as apparently he shouldn’t have played Hoggy as much as he did last weekend, so he won’t yet be ready to start today. The same can be said for the man-mountain Tyreece Simpson, who came off the bench for his first appearance but won’t be ready to start for a good while.

Apparently, it’s better news about Ettienne Camara as he is now recovered from Covid and is not only available but also in contention to start. While it’s a virus that affects everyone differently, it would be a bit of a shock if he went straight back into the starting eleven.

So all that preamble was my way of saying, don’t expect huge changes from last week’s starting lineup for the Sheffield United game. In fact, the only change I would make would be to swap Boyle for Diarra and change from 5-4-1 to a 4-2-3-1 shape. We’ve struggled to score so much in recent weeks and Diarra, while raw, is one of the few players we have that has a bit of magic in his boots. And with Anjorin now looking out for the long term, it seems like we’re going to have to find some creativity from somewhere else in the squad.

Then the only other change to consider would be up front but switching Rhodes for Ward has been tried so many times with limited results. Whichever we start with, we’ll most likely just sub them off after an hour and have the other for the last half an hour and neither will do a great deal. 

Goalkeeper: Nicholls

Defence: Kesler-Heyden, Helik, Lees, Ruffels

Midfield: Thomas, Rudoni, Diarra, Kasumu, Holmes

Striker: Ward

Can Town take attacking inspiration from the World Cup?

It will be interesting to see if there is a noticeable difference in the way that Town play today after their World Cup break. We all hoped that the World Cup break gave them chance to get on the training pitch and work more on attacking systems and moves to create more chances from open play as we’ve been woeful in front of goal all season.

If you take away our set piece goals then we’d be in an even worse state, which is saying something when we’re already bottom of the league. But today I’m hoping there will be at least some signs of an improvement when Town go forward with the ball. I’m not expecting huge changes with the lineup but I’d like to see a bit more fluency and attacking flair when we approach the final third.

After spending a month watching the World Cup and seeing teams really going for it in every match, I don’t really want to now settle back into watching turgid, defensive football for the rest of the season. While I’m not expecting Town to have the kind of quality that was on display at the World Cup, I think they can match the intensity and attacking intent that a lot of the teams showed in the tournament. 

Where are the goals going to come from?

It’s been highlighted recently that Town’s strikers haven’t been scoring enough, which has been true, but I’d also say that the midfield has been almost as guilty of not scoring. Our attacking midfielders should be helping out in this area and the likes of Holmes, Rudoni and Thomas are not chipping in nearly enough at the moment. So if it’s not Ward and Rhodes, then maybe those three might be ones to look at.

Otherwise, I’ve already said that Brahima Diarra has a bit of magic in his boots. That magic is, at times, completely uncontrolled and all over the place, but threatens to be unstoppable once he tames it at least a little bit. We probably shouldn’t expect so much from someone that’s so clearly not the finished article but it looks like he could be a real star in the future. 

I don’t think I’m quite so convinced about Tyreece Simpson’s ability as others. I think he’s full of potential but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to deliver at Championship level right now, which is the thing we need to pull us out of relegation trouble. If I needed someone to pull me out of the bottom of a well, he’d unquestionably be the strong pair of arms I’d call upon but I’m not sure he’s ready to perform as a footballer at this level. I’ll gladly eat my words if he comes back from injury and immediately makes an impact.

I thought I’d write this section to try and cheer myself up about all the potential goalscorers we had in our ranks, waiting to make a name for themselves but to be honest, there aren’t really all that many. I think I’ve covered all the likely candidates above and none of them are currently delivering. We’ve that Swiss guy arriving in January too but he sounds a bit naff. And we’ve already been told multiple times by Fotheringham that there won’t be any money in the pot to spend either. So don’t get your hopes up!

Watford preview

Gah! What’s the point! They’re fantastic. The best. They’ve never been beaten, they crush every team before them, their strikers score with every shot, their defenders break the spines of strikers with their tackles, our side has already negotiated terms of surrender in the midfield battle. We’re doomed! 

Of course, I’m exaggerating but only a little. The bookies are obviously making Watford the favourites for this game and they come into the game with better form than us. They also have better players than us. And, Slaven Bilic, a more proven manager. Though the rate they sack their managers, it’s plausible that they’ll have got a new manager in place by half time. 

Watford drew 0-0 with Hull last weekend and had the same result against Bristol City in the game before the break, so they aren’t exactly unstoppable given they are two teams that are almost as bad as we are. 

Their player to watch is Joao Pedro, who is too good to be playing at Championship level really. He’s ridiculously good for this level and it’s a bit bonkers that Watford kept hold of him after relegation. They also have Ismaila Sarr, who starred for Senegal in the World Cup, who’s been very good for them over the last few seasons. If both of these players are anywhere near their best we’re in for a very tricky afternoon.

Match prediction – Huddersfield Town 1 – 0 Watford

Despite being a bit doom and gloom above, I’m going to predict a narrow Town victory. I don’t think it will be pretty but I think we might be able to make this game a war of attrition and then snatch something from a set piece of a mistake at the back. 

We’re actually keeping things relatively tight at the back these days and looking a good bit fitter than earlier in the season, so we should be able to keep games tighter and get the better of the late stages of matches more often if our fitness levels are better. 

Watford’s quality players are a worry but I think we can make the game a tight and nasty battle where they don’t get the chance to show off their skills. I think that we’ll lose this game if we allow it to become too open and if both teams start playing open and expansive football, sadly, that’s not what we’re good at right now.