Two points from seven games: a record which made for meagre reading in Watford, and the visit of newly-promoted Sheffield United — unbeaten in their first three away games since their return to the Premier League — provided another opportunity to falter.
Hornets manager Quique Sánchez Flores was well aware of the threat the Blades posed ahead of their trip to Vicarage Road, even more so after witnessing their narrow defeat to potent title contenders Liverpool a week prior.
"We knew the match would be tough because we saw Sheffield playing against Liverpool and playing very well," he said. "At this moment in the season they are full of confidence and this is not our moment, we are in a more difficult moment."
The encounter — dubbed widely as a must-win for the hosts at the foot of the table — ended goalless, but it was not without sufficient chances for either side to claim all three points.
Watford can argue strongly that they conjured enough to win the game, as gilt-edged opportunities for striking duo Andre Gray and Danny Welbeck were squandered in the early stages of either half. Goalkeeper Ben Foster was subjected to a quieter afternoon than usual, but was nonetheless called into action several times by a well-drilled Blades attack.
Substitute defender Craig Dawson also failed to score from an unmarked header in stoppage time, but Sánchez Flores insists the creation of those chances alone was enough to muster a degree of optimism.
"Okay, it's 0-0 and we can improve of course, but the players at least have the feeling we didn't concede and had the best chances. The chances we had with Gray, Welbeck and Dawson were very, very clear and in another moment of the season with more confidence they will be goals."
Building from the back
It had been no less than 238 days since Watford's last league clean sheet — incomprehensible is the fact that the 1-0 victory over Everton in February transpired in this same long calendar year.
Defensive frailties could well have been an influential factor in the club's decision to part ways with former manager Javi Gracia, and his successor knows well just how important a functional back line is.
"It's a good base," Sánchez Flores asserted. "Finally we believe in the idea of not conceding goals and this is the only way we can take confidence to build, to grow. It's necessary if you want to grow, it's the base for everything. You feel safe, you feel secure and it's the way you can take confidence. Being out of control is not good for you."
Sheffield United were allowed a good deal of the ball and did summon up nine shots during the course of the game, but their expected goals of just 0.35 stands as the lowest figure Watford have conceded in the league so far this season.
Even setting the statistics aside, this was a far more assured, organised and resolute defensive display from the Hornets, and perhaps an indication that their most glaring weakness is beginning to mend.
"We were safe in defence and we defended well with five defenders. It was the first time I saw the team defend well from crosses."
Defensive reinforcements pay dividends
Paramount to Watford's improved security at the back was the introduction of both Sebastian Prödl and Christian Kabasele into the starting 11. The latter was a fairly regular fixture under Gracia but has gained more sporadic minutes of late, while the former started his first Premier League match for around 18 months.
Nevertheless, the pair registered composed and assertive performances and, given the manner in which their fellow centre-backs have struggled in recent weeks, can be hopeful of pinning down more regular spots in the head coach's plans.
"This is a message to every single member of the squad: that they should be ready because they could be needed in an instant. They can go to the line-up. This is very important. They should all be ready so we can use them."
Prödl and Kabasele formed two-thirds of a back three alongside Craig Cathcart as Sánchez Flores opted to mirror the 3-5-2 formation deployed by Chris Wilder and his Blades. The tactical alteration certainly appeared to pay off, but the Spaniard believes his players are those deserving of the praise.
"The system is not the most important thing. The most important thing is the players. Once we have the players, the system can change and how you read the system, too."
Thinking forwards
The thought that the Premier League has already run nearly a quarter of its annual course boggles the mind, and yet it is true. Thirty games remain and while that may feel like plenty — a host of opportunities to set the record straight — it cannot be ignored how quickly these first eight seem to have passed.
Already four points adrift from safety, the Hornets can no longer afford to rest on their laurels in the assumption that fortunes will eventually turn for the better. Times will only get more desperate from here until mid-May.
"We don't have too much time," the Spaniard admitted. "We don't have amazing confidence in other shapes, we don't have these memories. If we don't change, we are going to suffer. We decided a system and we need more time to understand it."
Saturday's stalemate was a tentative step in the right direction for Watford but it was not sufficient to satisfy corners of the fanbase who are growing increasingly concerned with the current situation. Dispersed, faint, but powerful jeers could be heard after the arrival of the full-time whistle at Vicarage Road.
Sánchez Flores acknowledges the frustration of the supporters, but maintains that he and his players are doing all within their powers to clear the rut as quickly and painlessly as possible.
"I understand the fans here very well. I heard a few little complaints because we weren't going forward. That's okay. In the first half we were too deep and we conceded too many crosses but they got behind us in the second half because they can see the players giving everything."
The Hornets next travel to north London to face a teetering Tottenham Hotspur side after the international break, followed a week later by the visit of AFC Bournemouth at Vicarage Road. The hunt for that elusive first win will need to reach its conclusion sooner rather than later.