The Impossible Dream

Well, your defence now looks stronger than ever. Smalling, Keane & Tierney are all fantastic acquisitions who should certainly give you backbone strong enough to make ripples in the Premier League this season.

Gabriel Jesus brings known quality to your squad, and he'll certainly fire you up the table as you look to conquer your opposition.

However, all eyes will certainly be on hotshot wideman Mitchell Weiser and maverick striker Mario Balotelli. Everybody knows of their qualities when they're on form, but can they produce on a consistent basis?

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Watford kicked off pre-season this week with some convincing results against massive opposition. In the inaugural Summer Invitational, Nigel Pearson's men went up against Lyon, Monaco and PSG, welcoming fans to Vicarage Road once more, as they flocked to see their new-look side.

The games presented fans' first chance to see several new names in action, and Watford did not disappoint, registering some convincing wins, and even more convincing performances as they started preparations for the new Premiership season.

2-0 v Lyon
Summer Invitational | Vicarage Road| Att: 13,104
Starting XI: Costil (c), Keane, Kabasele, Britos, Tierney, Howson, Wijnaldum, Capoue, Swattridge, Pereyra, Balotelli
Weiser, Doucoure, Gabriel Jesus, Pepe, Almiron, Basran, Correa
Pereyra (7, 39)

2-1 v Monaco
Summer Invitational | Vicarage Road| Att: 12,397
Starting XI: Costil (c),Weiser, Keane, Britos, Tierney, Capoue, Doucoure, Wijnaldum, Zarate, Pereyra, Success
Almiron, Gabriel Jesus, Correa, Behrami, Kabasele, Swattridge
Capoue (5), Pereyra (7)

4-1 v PSG
Summer Invitational | Vicarage Road| Att: 17,716
Starting XI: Costil (c), Weiser, Keane, Cathcart, Tierney, Howson, Watson, Wijnaldum, Pereyra, Correa, Gabriel Jesus
Pepe, Holebas, Almiron, Basran, Kabasele, Doucoure, Swattridge
Di Maria (OG, 7), Gabriel Jesus (8), Cathcart (30), Almiron (77)

Watford FC Player of the Tournament: Roberto Pereyra (3 Gls, 1 Ast)

Pereyra really lit things up for you! Good to play against such high-quality opposition, will give the squad experience they don't get playing in the Premier League!

Amazing pre-season from yourself there, let's hope that form continues into the league season.

Watford carried their scintillating pre-season form into the new season, losing just once in 5 matches, and claiming big results against Arsenal and Everton. Nigel Pearson, despite claiming his transfer business to be over, added Celtic striker Moussa Dembele to his squad following the West From result, in a deal worth £7.5m, and he made an instant impact in the League Cup tie against Stevenage.

A month of solid results has seen Watford move into 6th in the league, and this is a foundation which Pearson will be hoping his side can build on this start, and maintain a minimum of a top-half position this season.

3-0 v Crystal Palace
Premier League | Vicarage Road | Att: 21,250
Starting XI: Costil, Weiser, Pepe, Keane, Tierney, Grujic, Howson, Wijnaldum, Pereyra, Correa, Gabriel Jesus
N/A
Grujic (15), Pereyra (23), Correa (37)

3-2 v West Brom
Premier League | The Hawthorns | Att: 26,445
Starting XI: Costil, Weiser, Pepe, Smalling, Tierney, Grujic, Howson, Wijnaldum, Pereyra, Correa, Gabriel Jesus
Keane, Balotelli, Almiron
Grujic (10), Pereyra (80)

3-1 v Arsenal
Premier League | Vicarage Road | Att: 21,250
Starting XI: Costil, Weiser, Smalling, Keane, Tierney, Grujic, Howson, Capoue, Pereyra, Correa, Gabriel Jesus
Ritchie, Balotelli
Smalling (35), Grujic (89), Pereyra (93)

3-0 v Stevenage
League Cup | Vicarage Road | Att: 15,204
Starting XI: Costil, Cawley, Pepe, Smalling, Tierney, Howson, Capoue, Grujic, Swattridge, Ritchie, Basran
Wijnaldum, Dembele, Almiron
Pepe (52), Dembele (73, 77)

2-2 v Everton
Premier League | Goodison Park | Att: 39,572
Starting XI: Costil, Weiser, Pepe, Smalling, Tierney, Howson, Capoue, Grujic, Pereyra, Ritchie, Gabriel Jesus
Wijnaldum, Dembele, Almiron
Grujic (7), Gabriel Jesus (25)

Watford FC Player of the Month: Marko Grujic (5 Apps, 4 Gls, 1 Ast)

Nice victories

A very strong start to the season, with plenty of goals to show for it! Grujic & Pereyra have certainly had exciting starts to the season, hopefully they've got plenty more to add to their tallies!

Good set of results in preseason, and that shows in your first month in the Premier League. How I'd like to see ArsenalFanTV after their fixture

Amazing results, shame about the WBA result but obviously The Hawthorns is a very difficult place to play football. The Arsenal result will be something to look back on at the end of the season for sure.

Following a convincing start to the season, Nigel Pearson's Watford side are increasingly looking like they could be the surprise package of the season. The new singings at Vicarage Road really seem to have clicked, and a sequence of impressive results has seen Watford hurtle to second in the table after 8 games, having lost just once.

Watford fans could be forgiven for believing their team are on track to do something special this season, but for now, the squad are keen to keep their feet on the ground. In an interview with Watford's website, veteran defender Pepe said "I have been a part of many special teams, and right now there is a good feeling around training and at games. It is important that we stay focused - nothing is more important than the next game...we keep giving 100% then I think we keep winning, it is simple"

And keep winning they do...

September Results

1-0 v Hull
Premier League | Vicarage Road | Att: 21,250
Starting XI: Costil, Weiser, Smalling, Pepe, Tierney, Capoue, Wijnaldum, Grujic, Pereyra, Ritchie, Gabriel Jesus
Dembele
Ritchie (26)

2-0 v Derby County
Premier League | Pride Park | Att: 33,010
Starting XI: Costil, Weiser, Smalling, Pepe, Tierney, Capoue, Wijnaldum, Grujic, Pereyra, Correa, Dembele
N/A
Dembele (8, 36)

2-0 v Southampton
League Cup | Vicarage Road | Att: 19,039
Starting XI: Costil, Weiser, Smalling, Pepe, Tierney, Capoue, Wijnaldum, Grujic, Pereyra, Ritchie, Balotelli
Correa, Dembele
Ritchie (44), Correa (83)

3-1 v Sunderland
Premier League | Stadium of Light | Att: 46,594
Starting XI: Costil, Weiser, Smalling, Pepe, Tierney, Capoue, Wijnaldum, Grujic, Pereyra, Ritchie, Balotelli
Keane, Dembele, Howson
Pereyra (56, 58), Dembele (61)

3-1 v West Ham
Premier League | London Stadium | Att: 58,823
Starting XI: Costil, Weiser, Smalling, Keane, Tierney, Capoue, Wijnaldum, Grujic, Pereyra, Ritchie, Dembele
Correa, Feoktistov, Howson
Capoue (11, 24), Wijnaldum (27)

Watford FC Player of the Month: Kai Ritchie (4 Apps, 2 Goals, 1 Ast)

Absolutely fantastic month, you weren't playing any of the 'top' sides but getting results against these type of teams are a must if you want to kick on this season so this could be key to your season. Keep it up

Bing Bang Bong, Watford keep rolling on!

Devastating: Balotelli could face the rest of the season on the sidelines following his achilles injury

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October could so easily have been a very different month for Watford. New signing Mario Balotelli picked up an Achilles injury while playing for the U23 side in a bid to recapture his match fitness, and looks set to be out of action until at least March. His injury comes at a time when Nigel Pearson seemed to be considering a run in the team for him: his attitude in training and willingness to help the younger players in the squad had impressed, but now he will have to work doubly as hard to recapture his form,

Watford's form didn't suffer, however, as they extended their unbeaten league run to 8 games, before a narrow defeat against Southampton brought them back down to earth, and back to 4th place in the Premier League. Although still in a strong position, Pearson's men know that they need to continue to work hard to secure that position, and the possibility of continental football, although Scottish left-back Kieran Tierney insists that the club aren't necessarily setting their sights quite that high: "Obviously, we're delighted to be where we are at the moment" He stated, talking to Watford TV, "But there's a lot of the season still to be played, and nothing is certain. At the start of the season, we all agreed that we would be happy with a top-half finish, especially coming off the back of the second half of last season. Obviously Top 6, Top 4, whatever, would be amazing, but we know there's no guarantees in football, and we need to stay focused on the next game, rather than letting our imaginations run wild."

2-1 v Leicester
Premier League |Vicarage Road | Att: 21,250
Starting XI: Costil, Weiser, Smalling, Pepe, Tierney, Capoue, Wijnaldum, Grujic, Pereyra, Ritchie, Gabriel Jesus
Correa, Dembele
Capoue (22), Grujic (89)

3-1 v Manchester City
Premier League |Vicarage Road | Att: 21,250
Starting XI: Costil, Weiser, Smalling, Keane, Tierney, Capoue, Wijnaldum, Grujic, Pereyra, Correa, Dembele
Pepe, Ritchie, Howson
Weiser
Dembele (32), Smalling (56), Ritchie (86)

4-1 v Burnley
League Cup, 4th Round |Turf Moor | Att: 15,846
Starting XI: Costil, Keane, Smalling, Pepe, Tierney, Capoue, Grujic, Wijnaldum, Pereyra, Ritchie, Gabriel Jesus
Britos, Almiron
Capoue (6), Ritchie (15), Gabriel Jesus (69, 87)

1-0 v Southampton
Premier League |St. Mary's | Att: 29,418
Starting XI: Costil, Weiser, Smalling, Keane, Tierney, Capoue, Wijnaldum, Grujic, Correa, Ritchie, Gabriel Jesus
Swattridge, Dembele
N/A

Watford FC Player of the Month: Kai Ritchie (4 Apps, 2 Gls, 3 Ast)
17-year old Kai Ritchie has hit a rich vein of form in the last two months, stepping into a first-team spot comfortably, and limiting the playing time of one of last seasons revelations in Joaquin Correa. Comfortable on the ball, and with a great eye for a pass, Ritchie is one of the team's best creators so far this season, and Watford fans are hopeful of a future where he commits to the club long-term.

Massive shame about the Mario injury, however the results have still come in (looking at that City one in particular!) Shame about the Southampton result however you end up with a good total of points at the end of the month.

Big blow losing Super Mario, but perhaps Kai Ritchie's superb form can continue to lead you to European qualification!