Watford boss Paulo Pezzolano's response as pressure grows ahead of Hull and Portsmouth games
Watford travel to Pompey next Tuesday night for the Blues’ first mid-week Championship game of the season
Watford boss Paulo Pezzolano is adamant he and his players can turn around their poor start to the season.
The Hornets - who travel to Pompey next Tuesday night - suffered their third defeat of the season at Millwall last night, leaving the Vicarage Road outfit 21st in the table with five points from their opening six games.
With a reputation of being a ‘promotion specialist’ following successful campaigns in Spain, Brazil and Uruguay, it’s not a position the former Real Valladolid boss is accustomed to.
And with Watford owner Gina Pozzo appointing 20 different permanent managers since he took over the club in 2012, the pressure may already be on the 42-year-old former midfielder.
Yet Pezzolano believes he and his team remain on the right track and is confident he can turn Watford’s fortunes around.
Pezzolano: Watford on right path
Speaking after the Millwall result, the Uruguyuan said: ‘We deserved something from the game.
‘The team made a great effort physically, they’re growing and are in a process, but we must keep going.
‘The finishing will come. It is a part of the process the team is going through. These players deserve more.
‘We are comfortable with what the players showed today and the path they are on.’
Pompey keen to add to Watford’s pain
Watford’s defeat at Millwall was their seventh on the road since they beat Middlesbrough at the Riverside nine away games ago in February.
That’s includes their 1-0 defeat to Pompey at Fratton Park under former boss Tom Cleverley on April 21 - a result that secured the Blues’ Championship status for another seasonand earned them revenege for their controversial loss at Vicarage Road on Boxing Day.
John Mosuinho’s side will be keen to inflict further pain on the Hornets next Tuesday.
And while Watford have a home game against Hull to navigate first, Pezzolano remains upbeat with the job he’s doing at Vicarage Road.
He added: ‘Historically, everywhere we have been, the beginning has not been easy in terms of results because it takes players a while to realise the training culture, the working culture and how we show up for work every day.
‘That’s what will set the results in the end. We hope that we can achieve it because we want to bring joy to the fans, to the people who feel identified with the club.
‘It's not easy but that's the job. It's about consistency, being there during the tough times at the beginning.
‘Yes, we have young players but we can do it.
‘We all want to win and when we don’t we go home and we're miserable.
‘But the thing is we need to get over that and see if things are improving every day, if our work is good and if we're improving our training culture.
‘If I wasn't seeing an improvement, an evolution, then I would be worried. But that's not the case.’