Aside from maybe Leicester City, you won’t find many teams in the Football League that have had a better 2015 than Watford. Securing promotion from the Sky Bet Championship after a brilliant run of results in the second half of the campaign, the Hornets are now taking the Premier League by storm - while playing some rather attractive, classy football in the process.
Promotion success
The 2014-15 Championship season was as hectic and competitive as they come, with multiple teams vying for promotion, whether it be through the automatic places or a tightly-fought and closely-contest race for the play-offs. Watford knew they were in a battle as January came around, particularly after a run of four defeats during November, but Slavisa Jokanovic's free-scoring men were seemingly not going to be stopped.
In their remaining 21 fixtures of the season, the Hornets lost just four games and drew only three, a run which saw them secure automatic promotion on 25 April after a 2-0 win against Brighton. With 57 goals between them, Watford’s success was in a large part due to Troy Deeney, Matej Vydra and Odion Ighalo, the latter proving an inspired signing from Serie A side Udinese in October 2014. It would be the type of partnership that Watford would need to flourish in England’s top flight.
Jokanovic's side may have finished the 2014-15 season second, finishing only behind a rampant Bournemouth, but the consensus between critics and players alike was that there would be a lot of work to be done if they were to cut it in the Premier League.
A busy summer
Watford moved swiftly to secure their business in the summer, first of all hiring ex-Valencia and Atlético Madrid boss Quique Sanchez Flores as their new coach - the fifth person to hold the position in a chaotic last 12 months for the club.
Quick transfer action followed, Flores moving to purchase Vydra on a permanent move from Udinese, Etienne Capoue from Tottenham Hotspur, and Valon Beharami from Hamburg, before making an inspired loan deal for Nathan Aké from last year’s Premier League champions Chelsea.
Defensive stability
With a mixture of new blood brought in through some good transfer business, and the core squad of players from last season’s promotion success, Watford were ready, and after a steady, cautious start to the season, they have in the month or so started to assert themselves as a real competitive outfit in England’s top flight.
With all the plaudits surrounding their attacking proficiency last season, it has been Watford's defence that has impressed; conceding just 19 goals this season, the Hornets’ defence has been one of the hardest in the Premier League to break down. The likes of Sebastian Prodl—brought in on a free from Bundesliga side Werder Bremen—Allan Nyom, Craig Cathcart and Aké, have made the Watford a tight, well-organised outfit that don’t concede many goals, particularly at Vicarage Road, a ground that has become a real fortress for Flores’ side.
Rampant Igahlo
To top it off, once more the goals have started to come. Four wins during the back end of November and early December—including a wonderful display in a 3-0 win over an in-form Liverpool—produced nine goals, with just two conceded. It is a string of results that has boosted Watford up to an impressive eighth in the Premier League table, with Ighalo once more a revelation. His 14 goals in the league already this season have been instrumental in Watford’s success, and captain Deeney has added another six to boot.
2015 will end on a sour note for the players and fans after Watford’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham, in which Aké saw a red card for a nasty challenge on Erik Lamela.
Despite that, Watford have had an incredible 2015 and going into the New Year, Flores will be confident that his side can claim a few more scalps before the season comes to a close. Top six and Europe may be out of the question for now, but make no mistake about it: with their high energy and upbeat play, Watford are one of the teams to watch in 2016.