Watford 2021-22 Premier League Preview
Will Hornets survive this season?
Watford are back in the Premier League after just one year away. The Hornets finished runners-up to Norwich City in the EFL Championship last season, racking up an impressive 91 points in the process. However, they are one of the favourites for relegation this term.
Xisco Munoz has been an extremely busy man in the summer, bringing the likes of Danny Rose, Josh King and Ashley Fletcher to Vicarage Road. Watford’s transfer business might not be done and dusted just yet. Can Munoz build a squad capable of staying in the Premier league this season? We have the latest Watford Premier League betting odds and predictions in our in-depth preview.
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Table of Contents
- 1 2020-21 Review: Watford back in the big time
- 2 2021-22 Fixtures: Hornets host Villans on opening day
- 3 Watford Transfer News: Big change up at Vicarage Road
- 4 Who Are Watford’s Biggest Challengers: Can the new boys stay up?
- 5 Norwich City Preview: Can the Championship champions survive?
- 6 Brentford Preview: Bees finally win promotion
- 7 Crystal Palace Preview: Will Vieira be successful at Selhurst?
- 8 Burnley Preview: Can Dyche’s Clarets continue to defy the bookies?
- 9 Hornets players to watch out for in the 2021-22 season: Will King make an instant impact?
- 10 Our Watford Predictions: Can the Hornets avoid an instant return?
2020-21 Review: Watford back in the big time
Even though Watford’s 2020-21 season ended in promotion, the Hornets had a topsy-turvy campaign in the Championship. Vladimir Ivic started in the dugout and made a decent start. Watford were beaten just four times during Ivic’s reign, but a 2-0 loss at Huddersfield Town a week before Christmas was the end of the road for the former Maccabi Tel Aviv boss.
The Watford board moved quickly to bring in Spaniard Xisco Munoz. Munoz, who represented the likes of Valencia and Levante as a player, had previously managed Dinamo Tbilisi in Georgia. Munoz started life at Vicarage Road with a 1-0 win over Daniel Farke’s Norwich City, who would go on to win the Championship title.
The Hertfordshire club made a stunning start to 2021, winning seven, drawing two and losing just one of their opening ten games of the new year. After a 1-0 loss to Bournemouth in late February, Xisco’s troops responded in stunning style, winning six in a row, and going eight games unbeaten.
Watford secured promotion to the Premier League after a 1-0 home victory over Millwall on 24th April, with Ismaila Sarr’s early penalty doing the business. In their last two, they lost at Brentford and beat Swansea City. Overall, Watford picked up an impressive 27 wins, suffered nine losses and drew ten times. They ended up finishing four points ahead of third-place Brentford in the race for automatic promotion.
2021-22 Fixtures: Hornets host Villans on opening day
Watford start life back in the Premier League with a home game against Aston Villa on 14th August. They then travel to Brighton & Hove Albion before making the trip to north London to face Nuno Espirito Santo’s Tottenham Hotspur in late August.
November looks an extremely tough month on paper, as the Hornets play Arsenal, Manchester United, Leicester City and Chelsea in successive matches. Munoz’s troops then start December with a home game against Premier League champions Manchester City.
Watford end their home campaign on the penultimate weekend of the season when Leicester visit Vicarage Road. Their final fixture will see them travel to Stamford Bridge to face Thomas Tuchel’s Blues on 22nd May.
Watford Key Facts
- Watford finished second in the Championship last season on 91 points
- The Hornets have been FA Cup runners-up on two occasions
- The Hertfordshire club picked up just 34 points in their last PL campaign
- Watford are currently available at just evens to be relegated this term
Watford Transfer News: Big change up at Vicarage Road
Watford have been one of the busiest clubs this summer. They have made a whole host of new signings, with the likes of Danny Rose, Josh King, Ashley Fletcher and Peter Etebo all joining the club. They have also signed Imran Louza, Emmanuel Dennis, Kwadwo Baah, Mattie Pollock and Dapo Mebude. Another one or two players could make the move to Hertfordshire before the window closes.
A number of players have left Vicarage Road, too. Ben Wilmot has joined Stoke City, Tiago Cukur has joined Doncaster Rovers on loan, while Achraf Lazaar, Carlos Sanchez, Jerome Sinclair and Mamadou M’Baye have all departed after their contracts expired.
Who Are Watford’s Biggest Challengers: Can the new boys stay up?
Like any promoted club, staying up will be priority. Norwich and Brentford will have the same ideas, while the likes of Burnley and Crystal Palace have been tipped to struggle. The Hornets have bad memories from their previous Premier League campaign, but a lot has changed on and off the field since then. Who will be their biggest rivals this season?
Norwich City Preview: Can the Championship champions survive?
After winning the Championship with ease last season, Norwich are gearing up for another year in the Premier League. They only lasted one season when they were last in the top tier following promotion, but can Farke’s men survive this time?
The Canaries have also been busy in the transfer market, already bringing in a whole host of new players. Plenty have left Carrow Road, too. As you expect, City are one of the favourites for the drop, but can they prove their doubters wrong?
Brentford Preview: Bees finally win promotion
After several failed attempts, Brentford finally booked their place in the Premier League for the first time in the club’s history. Arguably, they should have gone up automatically, but Thomas Frank’s troops needed the play-offs to get the job done. The London side beat Swansea in the 2021 Championship play-off final in May.
Frank has not revamped his squad, sticking with the players who go them to the Premier League in the first place. It remains to be seen whether that choice is the right one for their first ever PL campaign. The Bees’ first Premier League game will be against fellow Londoners Arsenal on Friday, 13th August.
Crystal Palace Preview: Will Vieira be successful at Selhurst?
Patrick Vieira is back in the English capital after being appointed new Crystal Palace manager following Roy Hodgson’s departure. The former Arsenal man was a hero at Highbury, but how will he fare in London as a manager in the Premier League?
After several players have headed for the exit door, the Palace team will look completely different this season. Vieira will be a busy man from now until the end of the transfer window. Can the Eagles avoid a relegation battle this term?
Burnley Preview: Can Dyche’s Clarets continue to defy the bookies?
Since arriving back in the Premier League, Sean Dyche’s Burnley have done exceptionally well to have kept themselves afloat. Before a ball is kicked each year, the Clarets are among the favourites for the drop, and this season is no different.
Burnley have let a few of their old heads go in the summer, including Ben Gibson, who has signed for Norwich. Robbie Brady has also moved on after his contract at Turf Moor expired. The Clarets have proved the critics wrong in recent years – can they do the same this season?
Hornets players to watch out for in the 2021-22 season: Will King make an instant impact?
Watford have several eye-catching players within their ranks, including the likes of Will Hughes, Nathaniel Chalobah and Ismaila Sarr – among others. However, new signing Josh King could be the man to watch out for this season. King impressed for Bournemouth after their promotion, earning a move to Everton last season. Things did not quite go to plan for the Norway international at Goodison Park, but King will be hungry to succeed at Vicarage Road.
Joao Pedro is one of world football’s hottest prospects. At just 19, the Brazilian has already become a regular starter at Watford. Pedro made just three Premier League appearances in the 2019-20 season, but he played a pivotal role in the demanding Championship last term. The teenager made 40 league and cup appearances, helping himself to nine goals along the way. Pedro could be the youngster to watch out for in this season’s Premier League.
Our Watford Predictions: Can the Hornets avoid an instant return?
At the time of writing, Watford are priced at evens for the drop. The three promoted clubs are the favourites for relegation, while the likes of Crystal Palace, Burnley, Newcastle United and Southampton are also in the mix.
The battle for Premier League survival will no doubt be another fascinating watch this season. The Hornets will be desperate to avoid an instant return to the Championship, and they certainly have quality within their ranks. Watford would take 17th place right now, and Munoz’s side are priced at 4/5 with Paddy Power to stay up.
