Watford's Last-Gasp Escape Attempt From Relegation

Perspective is important in all situations, and when you consider that Watford hadn’t won a Premier League match this season before a 2-0 win over Norwich City in November, the fact that survival is in their own hands is quite impressive. Although they are not completely out of it in terms of the odds on English Premier League relegation from Betfair, it’s a remarkable achievement to have turned their season around.

Of course, they’ve done it in classic Watford style, with three different managers having taken charge at Vicarage Road this season. The season started with Javi Gracia at the reins, the Spaniard having led Watford to the FA Cup Final the previous campaign as well as an 11th-place finish in the Premier League. But a poor start to the season, which saw Watford fall into the relegation zone, led to Gracia being given the sack.

The club turned once again to Quique Sánchez Flores as his replacement, but it didn’t work out, with Flores struggling to arrest Watford’s poor form. The club were marooned in the relegation zone for much of the season, as the pressure of avoiding the drop seemed to be getting to some of the players and affecting their performances.