There’s no sugar-coating it, that was bad, wasn’t it? Like, really bad. You wait 16 years and wait out a whole once-in-a-lifetime pandemic for fans to be at a Watford v Luton derby and then everything that can go wrong, does go wrong, with bells on. It’s a bitter pill to swallow.
I had half a mind to write that the only thing to take away from the 4-0 defeat at Vicarage Road was that at least the weather brightened up before kick-off, but here are some other things to consider.
Football is a cruel mistress
This was the epitome of the cliche that all form goes out the window on a derby day. It’s just that no-one quite expected the baby and bathwater to go with it.
Town were the form team coming into this contest, while Watford had lost thee in four, their fans weren’t happy with their owners and the football world was comparing them to the Tories over their managerial merry-go-round.
So, how did it go so wrong? A sickness in the camp is a big caveat across all assessments, but it wasn’t the only illness-inducing factor.
Rule number one of any derby – don’t concede early.
Even with the effect on preparations, particularly the in-form Dan Potts and Henri Lansbury, the first point of action is to dig in, keep things tight and frustrate a Watford fanbase that has been less than satisfied in recent weeks.
As Town boss Nathan Jones said: “They’re under real pressure. They’ve got Premier League players, Premier League everything, so we wanted to start well.
“They needed something and we gifted it to them. We didn’t clear the ball, then we don’t mark. We get pulled over too easily and they score. The second goal’s a real killer because we just haven’t done the basics well.”
The first goal travelling tale blues
The stats don’t lie. If Luton concede first on the road, it’s curtains, which on derby day, effectively rendered it game over after three minutes. So, can we just call it 1-0 for posterity, eh lads?
The last time Town earned at least a point after going behind on their travels was one year and four days earlier in a 2-2 draw at Derby. in the nine times since, it’s been a big, fat L.
In comparison, seven times after that, last season, Luton kept a clean sheet on the road to come away with something, and they’ve managed four away-day shutouts this term already.
Away from Kenilworth Road, Luton’s tried and tested tactic is to keep it tight, frustrate the home side and take their chances when they come along. It worked a treat in midweek at Norwich, but if that was the game plan at Watford it was obliterated in the Hornets’ first real attack.
Keinan Davis did have a handful of Sonny Bradley’s shirt, but the skipper was still too easily muscled off the ball and, even then, it was a superb improvisation for the home striker to hook it in.
But, with all the firepower now at Luton’s disposal, it really is high time that they turned this record around, so that conceding the first goal isn’t always so fatal.
Watford did a Luton on the Hatters
If keeping it tight at the back was the first point of order, and executed perfectly, then perhaps we’d be talking about a different derby, but the early goal gave an out-of-form side the boost they needed.
Despite that, Watford pressed, harried and forced Town into mistakes, while dishing up humble pie for many, including this scribe, who that thought the Hornets’ expensively assembled foreign legion didn’t know what the derby meant.
How much of Luton being comprehensively second best all over the park is down to illness may never be known, but there were too many players that just couldn’t cope with the Hornets’ intensity, and that’s just not like Luton.
Gamble didn’t pay off
Luton’s attacking formation and game plan looked inconsistent with what they are best at away from home. Simply put, they lost the midfield battle. Man, it feels weird and alien to even write that.
Hamza Choudhury and Edo Kayembe bossed the middle of the park and that left Luton’s midfield three of Jordan Clark, Allan Campbell and Luke Freeman chasing shadows at best and, at worst, opening up huge, gaping holes that were punished by the skill and running of Joao Pedro.
If anything, Luton were lucky not to have conceded more after the number of times Pedro, Ismaila Sarr and Keinan Davis found themselves with acres of Vicarage Road turf to run into, with the ball at their feet.
Considering the illness to Henri Lansbury and the muscle stiffness affecting Pelly-Ruddock, midfield options were limited, but not extinct.
Jordan Clark has played a deeper midfield role before but, though he had an afternoon to forget, Gabriel Osho was probably the better bet in place of the more attack-minded Luke Freeman.
It quickly became apparent that a midfield three of Freeman alongside Clark and Campbell was a luxury Luton couldn’t afford, but then, can you blame the boss for being positive, considering the fine form of his men and the misfortune of Watford, prior to derby day?
It was an experiment, maybe even a gamble, and it didn’t pay off. It’s also a very painful lesson, but one you’d expect Nathan Jones to learn from.
Horvath is hero then villain
With so many gaps in Luton’s territory, they could thank Ethan Horvath for the first half only ending 2-0, but his efforts will be overshadowed by that gift-wrapped blunder for Joao Pedro to fire the third.
If you’re in the mood for clutching at straws, it was such a horrific afternoon all-round that the American’s mistake maybe won’t draw the scrutiny it would have, had been a huge turning point.
It was a big blunder, don’t get me wrong, because Town were on a bit of a post-half-time mini revival at the time, but Gabriel Osho missing a sitter prior to Horvath’s cock-up had likely already told everyone watching that it just wasn’t going to be Luton’s day. The third goal just confirmed it via metaphorical egg on the face.
Hopefully it won’t take a battering ram to the keeper’s confidence as it did with Simon Sluga and his gaffe at Derby, though the Croatian was already at a low ebb then, whereas Horvath has been in fine form.
That, however, has masked one of his weaknesses because, as a shot-stopper, he is solid and was on one of the few players to make a positive contribution in the first half. But, with the ball at his feet, he has looked ever so slightly unconvincing all season, just without any real consequences. This should be another learning point to keep it simple and, particularly when derby day arses are being handed to you, keep it simple and launch it downfield when an attacker is bearing down on him, as Keinan Davis was.
Three’s not the magic number
Three wins on the spin still is still a holy grail that Luton find largely elusive. They’ve only managed it once in the Championship since their return to the second tier and that was in February last season against West Brom, Stoke and Derby.
Extenuating circumstances aside, that’s another record Town need to sweep aside this season if they are to bolster their ambitions of improving on last term’s sixth-placed finish.
Back to the drawing board… or is it?
The natural reaction is to feel hugely letdown by this derby display, but even aside from the context of the illnesses in the camp, Luton have been known to have at least one hammering in them a season and Jones constantly affirms that his men have to be “right at it” in every game, simply to compete. It’s just that this was the one fixture where no-one wanted, or even foresaw, a capitulation rearing its head.
But you can’t overlook Luton’s best run of form in the division for 26 years prior to this trip down the M1.
And, as long as Luton players can quickly get over the sickness, both in terms of genuine illness and the gut-wrenching feelings around such a display, then there’s every chance it will go down as a blip in the season. The most painful one of all, but a blip nonetheless.
So, there’s probably no huge overhauls to make, just wounds to lick, go again and aim to bounce back against Sunderland, as they most often do after a defeat.
Always look on the bright side of life?
Look, let’s be honest – nothing is going to help ease the annoyance and frustration of that horror show.
Waking up this morning was hard. Food doesn’t taste as good, there’s no spring in our steps, the world’s going to hell in a handcart and, even if someone tries to cheer you up, the answer to every suggestion is, “yeah, but Luton lost 4-0 at Watford”.
But, to find some sort of a silver lining, here are some things to remember in a frankly vain bigger-picture attempt to cheer you up.
- Luton are still above the Hornets in the Championship.
- Luton have still won more major trophies than Watford
- Luton have spent more years in the English top flight than Watford (because football wasn’t invented in 1992!)
- Luton still have more head-to-head wins
- And Agent Pozzo is still ruining their club from the inside
Let’s be honest, Hatters. This is one of the worst Mondays ever. We all know, these things seem silly to bring up and it seems like trying to polish a turd right now but, they’re still true.
And, there’s always next time at Kenilworth Road in April. Let’s just hope the match is sponsored by, er, medicine! Dose the boys up on the lot and let’s get this show back on the road.
