For Quique Sanchez Flores and his Watford side, the game against Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon represents a chance to get back on track and for the Hornets to once again start winning games, after a recent run of miserable form that's seen them fail to win a game in the Premier League so far in 2016.
Granted, there has been a touch of misfortune about Watford's recent run of four straight league defeats, with Flores and his players rightly a little bit aggrieved about the late, 2-1 losses to both Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City in recent weeks.
Disappointing displays
However, more recently the Hornets have slipped to a 2-0 defeat against Ronald Koeman's Southampton - a game that prompted Flores to apologise to the Watford fans for his side not reaching the required level of performance - and on Monday night were seen off 1-0 by a Swansea City struggling near the bottom of the table.
Nevertheless, Watford are just about still riding the wave that has been generated by their incredible first half of the season. Against all expectations - from critics and fans alike - the Hornets have continued in the same vein of form that saw them promoted from the Sky Bet Championship last season, and they have taken some serious scalps with their free-flowing, attacking football - epitomised by Odion Ighalo prolific output this campaign - and some solid defensive performances to boot.
"It is an amazing pleasure to share this position with these teams"
- Quique Sanchez Flores
It is a sign of just how well Watford are performing, that this recent run of bad form has befuddled those watching from the stands. Nevertheless, the confidence around Vicarage Road is still high, and Flores - who recently received the Manager of the Month award for December, alongside Ighalo's Player of the Month accolade- says he has told his players that their minor predicament is "no drama". The Spaniard described their current position as an "amazing pleasure", and considering they are mixing with established teams such as Liverpool, Everton and Southampton, he is exactly right: the Hornets are still having a terrific season.
Flores did however admit that his players are "a little bit tired" after a busy, competitive schedule -the manager's first taste of English football's hectic winter period. The Watford boss also interestingly mentioned that his side might have "tiredness in the brain", with the psychological impact of missing out on so many points making the "head a bit more heavy", however he once against reiterated that the Hornets still have "a lot of reasons to be positive".
Seizing the chance
The opportunity to bounce back from recent defeats couldn't be any better for Watford, as they come up against the only team they have managed to beat lately - albeit in the third round of the FA Cup.
Steve McClaren's Newcastle have had a tough season and are struggling for form. The Toon sit just inside the relegation zone, one point adrift of Swansea - and safety - but they do, however, come to Vicarage Road on the back of a valuable 2-1 victory over West Ham United - who are in sixth place and battling for the European places themselves.
As a result, confidence amongst the Newcastle players will be high, and after Watford's recent poor form they might just fancy their chances of taking another vital three points.
Last time these two sides met at the start of the season, the Hornets ran out 2-1 winners at St James' Park. A lot has changed since then - but expect another tight, hotly-contested affair on Saturday afternoon.
