Claudio Ranieri pledged to battle on as manager and urged his players to change their mindset, following Watford’s 3-0 home defeat to Norwich on Friday.
With a win over the 10-man Hornets at Vicarage Road, Josh Sargent scored twice to move the Canaries out of the relegation zone, putting further pressure on Ranieri.
Until his improvised flick broke the deadlock in the 51st minute, the 21-year-old American had not scored in the English top flight since his summer move from Werder Bremen. Sargent scored his and Norwich’s second goals of the game after a well-weighted Milot Rashica cross, lifting the team out of the bottom three.
Soon after, Emmanuel Dennis received a second yellow card for a high foot on Max Aarons, reducing the Hornets to ten men for the last 12 minutes. When Juraj Kucka redirected a ball from Adam Idah past Daniel Bachmann and into his own net in added time, Norwich put the game beyond the hosts.
SEE ALSO
Following his side’s second-half collapse, Claudio Ranieri was asked about his future plans, but the Italian insists he is committed to turning around the club’s woes.
When asked if he would think about his job, Ranieri replied: “I’m not going anywhere. I’d like to keep going because I’m a fighter. In my professional life, I’ve never given up.
“I regret having to apologize to the supporters. I instructed the players to start the fire. We vanished in the second half after the goal. Perhaps we would have done better with ten players rather than eleven.
Watford is struggling with no victories, clean sheets, or discipline.
Watford has gone nine games without a win in all competitions (D1 L8), their longest winless streak since December 2013. (10).
Norwich won by their largest margin in a Premier League match since beating West Brom 4-0 in May 2013, and their biggest away from home since a 5-1 triumph at Everton in September 1993.
Watford has gone 30 Premier League games without a clean sheet (since a 3-0 win over Liverpool in February 2020), with only West Brom having gone longer in the competition’s history (34 in 2011; Blackburn in 2012 and Wolves in 2012 both also on 30).
Only Arsenal (19) has received more Premier League red cards than Watford since the start of the 2016-17 season (18).
“Now we need to find players with heart, such as (Tom) Cleverley and (Moussa) Sissoko. Only the players who are willing to battle can assist us in surviving. We need to modify our mindset. We can’t keep going in this direction. I’m looking for athletes who can play with zeal and emotion.”
When a piece of the floodlights went out in the 60th minute, the game was temporarily suspended. Referee Mike Dean let play to resume without the full lights after an 11-minute delay while the lights flickered on briefly.
The Hornets haven’t won since a 4-1 win against Manchester United in November, and have only just slid into the relegation zone for the first time this season as a result of the result.
The club, on the other hand, has a track record of staying with under-fire managers, so it might be a key week for Ranieri, who labeled the encounter as a “cup final” before it.
After Watford’s search for their first clean sheet of the season continued, he stated, “The lads are playing for the club and for the supporters.” “They must play for the team as a whole, not as individuals or for personal gain.
“Every day, I speak with the board in the proper manner, and now we must react.
“I’m not sure why [my players] were so selfish. I was hoping to see the same team spirit that we had in Newcastle. Everyone desired to solve problems on their own. Norwich taught us a valuable lesson. They worked together, played together, and won together.”
What comes next?
Burnley welcome Watford at Turf Moor on Saturday February 5 at 6pm in a rescheduled match, while Norwich host Wolves in the FA Cup fourth round at Molineux at 3pm on the same day.
