Three things we learnt from Stoke’s 2-0 victory over Watford

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No Christmas cheer for struggling Watford

The last time Stoke City and Watford faced each other on November 27^th The Hornets were sitting as high as seventh in the Premier League. In the event, Walter Mazzarri’s side lost the contest by a solitary goal and have hit a poor run of form that has seen them win just once in their last eight fixtures and slip into the bottom half of the table. The team remain seven points clear of the relegation zone but have managed to pick up just four points from the last twenty-four on offer and have lost five consecutive games on the road. Relegation may not be an imminent threat but Watford supporters will be keen to see their side halt their current slide down the table, sooner rather than later.

On Tuesday evening The Hornets produced a rather lacklustre and ineffective performance at the BET365 Stadium. Walter Mazzarri correctly highlighted that side had one day less to prepare for the contest and Watford are also amidst a mini-injury crisis with up to eight first team players currently unavailable for selection. Injuries and a lack of preparation time may go some way to explaining their poor display, but The Hornets certainly were not short of quality or experience – quite simply, they simply did not perform against Stoke.