10 hours and 42 minutes. That’s how long Huddersfield Town have gone since they scored a goal away from home.
On that occasion Steve Mounié’s second goal against Crystal Palace ensured all three points and a perfect start to Premier League life.
David Wagner’s team have only picked up one more point on their travels in a boring 0-0 draw at impressive Burnley.
This paints a rather negative picture, suggesting they could be struggling towards the bottom of the table.
Home form, however, tells a different story for the Yorkshire club, the John Smith’s stadium has become somewhat of a fortress as The Terriers have taken 14 points, leaving them in 12th position.
Given that this weekend sees Huddersfield play away at Watford you could be forgiven for writing them off, but despite this returning midfielder Rajiv van La Parra told the media the squad are still “confident.”
“We want to improve”
The label of a high pressing style has been placed upon Huddersfield, but they have shown they can adapt to games as they did against Manchester City. Van La Parra says “we’ve played good football this season in what is a new experience for all of us. Hopefully we can continue this and stay in the premier league.”
When asked about the prospect of facing Watford, a team who started very well but have suffered a dip in form over the past few weeks, the Dutch midfielder said “every premier league game is tough.”
The half-brother of Liverpool player Georginio Wijnaldum expanded upon this by saying “Watford is a good challenge for us; I think there are some similarities in how we play,” “they play really offensively at home, so there may be space for us to attack.”
“It’s important to take points away from home”
Away games have proved to be a challenge for Town this season, “we know it’s important to start taking points away from home again, but the squad is feeling confident. we’re learning from our experiences,” said van La Parra.
The 26-year-old had been suspended for three games following his sending off against Manchester City, but he is once again available to play. “I tried to work more in training during my suspension and now I feel fresh and ready for the games.”
A regular starter before his red card, van La Parra now gives his manager a selection dilemma stating “I’d love to play this weekend, of course!”