Watford welcome Manchester City to Vicarage Road for the final game of their campaign. Here are five revealing stats behind their season.
Yellow cards – 83
Walter Mazzarri’s Watford have been the least disciplined side in the Premier League. As well as collecting the most yellow cards in the division, they have also committed the most fouls (505) and picked up five red cards.
Big chances created – 28
Only Burnley and the Premier League’s relegated teams have created less clear cut opportunities than the Hornets this season.
Mazzarri’s side did suffer the blow of losing former Juventus playmaker Roberto Pereyra midway through the campaign. M’Baye Niang arrived in January to plug the gap – creating the club’s joint most big chances (4) along with Nordin Amrabat.
Midfield goals – 9
Whoever replaces Mazzarri in the Vicarage Road hot-seat will be looking to add more goals from midfield. The Hornets had similar struggles under Quique Sanchez Flores with just six of their 40 goals coming from midfielders.
Total launches – 1,182
On a similar note, the stats suggest Mazzarri did attempt to rein in the long-ball style adopted under Flores. Watford went from playing the most long balls in the Premier League (1,626) to the 5th most (1,182).
The Watford supporters who did not enjoy Mazzarri’s style of play can point to his side’s unwillingness to move the ball forward. That is because the Hornets amassed the third fewest forward passes in the league (5,437).
Overruns – 93
Watford players have overrun the ball on an attempted dribble more than any other side in the Premier League – apart from Bournemouth. On an individual level, Jose Holebas (15) and Nordin Amrabat (13) have been the biggest culprits.
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