Football News: Chelsea v Watford Match Preview

Image from: niketalk.com

Monday 15th May 2017

Chelsea v Watford Premier League 8pm

No injury problems or suspensions.

Now the title is won, this match will be a party for the Blues' fans, but, for the players, there is still the little matter of the FA Cup final to think of. If they relax and fail to perform, they know Antonio Conte might think they will be unable to focus on the cup final and drop them. Everyone knows Conte will not be relaxing until the moment the whistle goes in the cup final. Even then he will probably be immediately thinking about the transfer window and what he needs for next season. However, at the end of the day, this is just a chance for a big Stamford Bridge party for the players and the fans, with a result that is completely irrelevant. They are the champions once more and that is all that matters.
Most important player: Antonio Conte. I know he is not strictly a player, but he is the one who will set the tone for the performance, as he has done all season. His will to win is immense, like his man management, and he is the one who has been driving the players on all season long. It is difficult to imagine him ever truly relaxing and just enjoying a game, Conte is like a bundle of nervous energy ready to be unleashed, even when his team is cruising to victory in the dying seconds of a match!

Kabasele (doubt - muscle injury)
Britos (doubt - calf injury)
Cathcart (doubt - knee injury)
Kaboul (out - hamstring injury)
Zarate (out - ACL injury)
Pereyra (out - knee meniscus injury)

As well as breaking a run of four defeats in a row, four defeats without even scoring a goal by the way, a win for Watford now would see them climb to 12th and give them a chance of finishing as high as 8th this season. Considering their last six matches has seen a return of just one goal scored, while conceding eleven, it is hard to see them beating a Chelsea side, even if the entire team are hungover from the night before and lose their kit forcing them to borrow boots for the team and everyone has the wrong size on the wrong foot. No matter what happens, it seems unlikely that even two wins from the final two matches will be enough to save Walter Mazzarri from the chop in the summer. The Hornets have been terrible to watch all season and their results have not been much better. The one surprise is that the way they are playing has seen them avoid relegation, as they have been absolutely appalling to watch, even on their best days.
Most important player: Heurelho Gomes. Unless Chelsea really are still hungover from the night before, Gomes is likely to be the most worked player on the pitch for Watford!

Defining Battle: a big part of the problem for Watford has been Mazzarri's odd selections. He has fiddled with the formation, altered the personnel but not the tactics, which are dull as dishwater. They will be slow and clumsy in midfield, big, strong, pacey and clumsy up front and just plain clumsy at the back. Their only real hope is to drag this into a physical battle, as they have, under Mazzarri, shown no other real quality than brute strength. If they can get tight, take the edge of the atmosphere with a few tackles and not allow the Chelsea team to run at them down the flanks, then they have a chance.

Editors' Predictions:
Ed002 - 5-0
Ed003 - 1-0
Ed004 - 2-1
Ed007 - 4-0
Ed018 - 3-1
Ed025 - 4-0
Ed033 - 1-1

Written by Tris Burke May 15 2017 05:57:10