Chelsea will visit Watford tonight hoping to continue their unbeaten run under Guus Hiddink. Yet with Quique Flores’ side impressing the country in their first season back in the top flight, the Hornets will be a very difficult team to beat.
The form
As previously stated, Chelsea are still unbeaten following Hiddink’s return. The Blues will be coming into this game off of the back of two wins, a 1-0 victory over Arsenal and a 5-1 mauling of MK Dons.
Player form has been impressive too. Diego Costa is very much back amongst the goals and Oscar grabbed the match ball in the win over the Dons when he put three goals past the Milton Keynes side.
Watford come into this game having won their previous two matches too. Beating Newcastle United 2-1 and gaining a narrow 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
Many have been surprised with how strongly Watford have tackled their first season back in the Premier League, beginning as potential relegation candidates but going on to comfortably sit in 10th place at the moment, four positions higher than the champions.
Will Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo prove too much?
Chelsea have already conceded 34 times this season - an alarming statistic for the Blues. Something that will be even more alarming for them is that Deeney and Ighalo are proving to be one of the stand-out partnerships of this season. The Nigerian forward has already scored 14 goals in the league, six more goals than Costa.
Deeney, meanwhile, has been described by his manager as the heartbeat of his side. He may have been out-scored by his striking partner so far, but it is plain to see that he wouldn’t have scored as many goals without his captain. Deeney has the awareness to look for Ighalo’s runs and movement every time he receives the ball, and he cleverly combines physical strength with tactical awareness to create space for his partner to run through.
John Terry likes to use his own strength to control strikers, but Deeney will be able to match the former England international and will be hopeful of using his talents to beat help beat the champions.
Prolific Pato?
Alexandre Pato’s move to Chelsea was somewhat of a surprise to the footballing world. Having not attracted much attention since his early years at AC Milan, the struggling champions identified Pato has a man who can help turn things around at Stamford Bridge.
With Deeney and Ighalo grabbing headlines at Watford, and Costa back on form, the door could be open for the Brazilian to join the ranks of impressive strikers.
It remains to be seen whether the Corinthians loanee will be getting much game time under Hiddink. Costa is certainly still the first choice forward for Chelsea, and it seems unlikely that Hiddink will be wanting to change his formation to incorporate two strikers. Yet with Loic Remy and Radamel Falcao still both out injured, it is likely that Pato will get an opportunity from the bench at least to impress.
If the former AC Milan star can bag a goal in this game, provided he appears, the four strikers will really be the stars on show.
