Watford manager Valerien Ismael refused to criticise goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann and defender Ryan Andrews for the clanger that left Watford having to come back from behind to secure a 1-1 draw at home to Swansea.Ismael opted to drop previous first choice Ben Hamer and restore Bachmann to the starting line-up for the first time in the league since November 28.But the Austrian was the key man in a...Full Story »

Valerien Ismael insists he remains “comfortable” about his position despite Huddersfield’s comeback 2-1 victory consigning his side to a seventh straight home league game without a win – with the Watford boss calling on his players to look at their own performance to find the root cause.The home fans made their displeasure abundantly clear as Watford struggled through the...Full Story »

Watford head coach Valerien Ismael admitted feeling some relief after his side ended their losing streak with a 1-0 win at Rotherham.Neither side entered the contest with much confidence following three straight defeats apiece but it was Watford who snatched the points thanks to Yaser Asprilla’s second-half strike.Ismael said: “We were ready for the battle. We spoke about it before t...Full Story »

Watford boss Valerien Ismael was as surprised as anyone to see Jake Livermore score both goals in their 2-1 win at QPR.Veteran midfielder Livermore has rarely scored two goals in a season throughout his long career, but he hit two in five minutes to pile more misery on Rangers.“For Jake it’s not his job to score goals but we are pleased with him, he has a great mentality,” said...Full Story »

Watford head coach Valerien Ismael was pleased at the second-half reaction from his side, as they spared their FA Cup blushes with a 2-1 win over Chesterfield.A goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time from Tom Dele-Bashiru broke the hearts of the National League leaders, who would have felt they deserved at least a replay.Watford won their first FA Cup third-round tie at home since 2018, and p...Full Story »

Watford head coach Valerien Ismael hailed his players for holding on for a point from a 1-1 draw with Stoke despite Vakoun Bayo’s 52nd-minute dismissal.Striker Bayo was shown a straight red card for an off-the-ball clash with Potters defender Luke McNally.The pair initially tussled for the ball and both ended up on the turf – but when they picked themselves up referee Scott Oldham wa...Full Story »

Valerien Ismael saluted Watford’s mentality after they came from behind to claim a dramatic late 2-1 win at Blackburn.The Hornets trailed for much of the game after Adam Wharton’s first goal this season – struck from a tight angle – put Blackburn ahead in the third minute.In an increasingly open game, both sides had chances but both goalkeepers excelled, making important ...Full Story »

Valerien Ismael revealed that Wesley Hoedt’s stunning goal which earned Watford a 2-1 win at Hull was perfected on the training ground.The Hornets captain seized possession just over the halfway line before having the awareness to lob Ryan Allsop in an extraordinary moment of ingenuity on 74 minutes.Ismael said: “Their goalkeeper has a massive part in their build-up and we know that ...Full Story »

Valerien Ismael hailed a “great performance” after his Watford side heaped further misery on struggling Rotherham with a 5-0 thumping at Vicarage Road.Watford endured a tricky start to the campaign, but are now six games unbeaten and charging up the Sky Bet Championship table after their biggest victory of the season.Despite just six places separating the two sides heading into the g...Full Story »

Watford manager Valerien Ismael believes Mileta Rajovic’s injury-time header in a 2-2 draw with Millwall at Vicarage Road could prove a key moment in his side’s season.Ismael said: “The morale, the mentality we showed again tonight was something great. It has been a good week for us with two wins, one draw.“For sure you want more, but we are showing the mentality of a tea...Full Story »

Valerien Ismael lauded his Watford players for their “brilliant” team performance as the Hornets ended a 16-game winless away run by beating Swansea 1-0 in south Wales.Substitute Ken Sema struck a spectacular winner in the 82nd minute to earn the visitors all three points with what was his first goal of the campaign.It was Watford’s first win on the road since beating Norwich 1...Full Story »

Watford head coach Valerien Ismael believes strength in depth is starting to pay off for his side as they secured a late 1-0 victory over Sheffield Wednesday.A fine solo effort by substitute Yaser Asprilla was the difference at wet Vicarage Road, a goal that saw new Owls head coach Danny Rohl suffer defeat in his first game.The Colombian was on the field for four minutes before his strike, and I...Full Story »

Watford head coach Valerien Ismael was unhappy with errors from his side in their 2-2 draw against West Brom.The hosts took the lead and lost it again within the first 17 minutes before fighting back at a drenched Vicarage Road.With the game declining as a spectacle due to the conditions, Ismael believed his side were too sloppy.He said: “We made a mistake and we gave West Brom a chance to...Full Story »

Manager Valerien Ismael believes Watford’s dramatic late 2-0 home victory over 10-man Birmingham will give his side a huge lift.The Hornets went into the game having won just one of their opening five matches and appeared set for more frustration before the visitors lost Lee Buchanan to a second yellow card in the 88th minute.Watford took full advantage, scoring twice in added time through...Full Story »

Watford manager Valerien Ismael heavily criticised referee David Webb after his side’s thrilling 3-3 draw against Coventry, describing him as the 12th man for the hosts.The Sky Blues were awarded a controversial penalty after 20 minutes with Watford defender Ryan Porteous adjudged to have handled the ball.Despite Matt Godden’s spot-kick being saved by Daniel Bachmann, Ismael did not ...Full Story »

Valerien Ismael explained he dropped key midfielder Imran Louza for disciplinary reasons ahead of Watford’s 1-0 defeat at home to Blackburn.The Morocco midfielder is understood to have been punished for poor time-keeping, arriving late for a training session.Louza was introduced as a half-time substitute but it was from his error that Ryan Hedges went on to score the game’s only goal...Full Story »

Valerien Ismael shrugged off Watford’s wastefulness in front of goal in the goalless draw against Plymouth at Vicarage Road and accentuated the positives from their performance.His side managed just three efforts on target from 20 attempts on goals, with striker Vakoun Bayo especially profligate.Bayo struck shots wide in both halves as Watford dominated a Plymouth side that were always dan...Full Story »

Watford boss Valerien Ismael hailed his players as they got his Vicarage Road reign off to a rip-roaring start with a 4-0 win against a hapless QPR side.All of the goals came in a scintillating first-half display that saw the Hornets take the lead after just 33 seconds through Tom Dele-Bashiru.The impressive Imran Louza, Matthias Martins and Vakoun Bayo also profited from some dismal defending f...Full Story »

West Brom boss Valerien Ismael insisted he has no intention of succumbing to pressure after Millwall downed his side 2-0 at The Den.Mason Bennett broke the deadlock in the second half before Benik Afobe doubled the Lions’ lead, and a strong performance by Bartosz Bialkowski in goal secured a well-deserved three points.It was another blow to the struggling Baggies, who have now won jus...Full Story »

West Brom head coach Valerien Ismael revealed England goalkeeper Sam Johnstone missed the 2-0 home defeat to Preston through disciplinary issues on a night when supporters turned on the Frenchman.Johnstone failed to make the squad after a three-match ban and was replaced by David Button.“We had a matter, an issue in the squad and have solved the problem,” said Ismael.“He was no...Full Story »