Watford head coach Walter Mazzarri played down speculation about his job being on the line after they lost their sixth game in eight away to Stoke City.

The Italian is favourite to be the Premier League manager sacked after the Potters condemned the Hornets to a losing start to the new year.

Ryan Shawcross and Peter Crouch netted either side of half-time to help Stoke leapfrog their Tuesday night opponents, who drop a few places in the league table.

Mazzarri doesn’t feel under pressure

Under Quique Sanchez Flores, the same situation happened last season, but this run of form has piled on the pressure on former Inter Milan boss Mazzarri.

After the 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hostpur, the Italian said he wasn’t worried about his position and that the project at Vicarage Road is a long one.

“I don’t feel under pressure because I speak with the owner every day,” Mazzarri told the Evening Standard.

“We know what our objective is and we’re not only looking at the next five or six mitches, we are looking at the next three years.”

Watford were not unlucky

Watford’s squad is hampered with injuries at the moment and Mazzarri has brought in some academy players into the squad in recent weeks.

The Italian said the situation means it is “difficult to get results”, but they have to move on and “work for the future”.

He added: “The important thing is to keep fighting for the next games. I liked the way our fans behaved because they understood the moment we’re in and they supported us until the end and this is very important for us.”

Mazzarri reflected on the defeat to Stoke and believes the two key moments in the game were taken by the hosts and that “changed the result” because they managed to score them both.

The Hornets were not unlucky against the Potters, insisted the Italian boss, and they welcome Middlesbrough to Vicarage Road on Saturday afternoon.

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About the author
Andrew McDonnell
Sports writer based in the North-East of England, safe to say I have found my niche in sports writing and I strive to succeed with everything I do, including Vavel, both in the UK and USA. First official Writer of the week for the USA office too. Cover Manchester United, Watford, Cricket, MLS and NFL.