One of the many themes of the Premier League this season is seemingly the trend of teams in the bottom half of the table embarking on hot streaks in their form.
Norwich City somewhat did this at the start of the season after wins against Newcastle United and Manchester City, whilst Southampton were THE team over the festive period with the Saints picking up 10 points from 12, helping the south coast side rise to mid-table after a lengthy period in the Premier League relegation zone.
January, though, seems to be the month of Watford’s resurgence, with new manager Nigel Pearson claiming four wins in his previous five games and lifting the Hornets out of the relegation zone for the first time since the opening game of the season as records from Transfermarkt show.
Watford...
Win
Lose
Draw
The impact Pearson has had on Watford in such a short space of time is nothing short of remarkable, and with Tottenham making the trip up to Vicarage Road today, it’s pretty easy to assume that Spurs will be playing with some fear in their mentality.
After all, Jose Mourinho has not done quite enough yet at the club to shake away their long-standing away day problems, with the Portuguese manager only claiming two wins on the road in all competitions since replacing Mauricio Pochettino in November.
And Watford are a side who should have beaten Tottenham this season, with the Hornets getting very unlucky with VAR decisions on the day which could have seen the Premier League side win a penalty, see Jan Vertonghen sent off, and Dele Alli’s late equalising goal ruled out for handball, all incidents those at Stockley Park waved off for one reason or another.
Watford’s form alone should make Spurs cautious of the task at hand this afternoon, but couple that with how close the Hornets came last time out and Tottenham’s still persistent troubles of playing on the road, and it could be a Saturday to forget for Mourinho.