Before our game against Watford, we asked Opta Analyst senior editor and Watford fan Matt Furniss to compile a list of five Hornets players we should keep an eye on during the fixture.
Giorgi Chakvetadze
Easily one of the most talented players in the Championship, Chakvetadze is a joy to watch. Originally tipped to be the talent of his generation in Georgia, bad luck with injuries and transfers that never worked out saw him overtaken by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
Just like Kvaratskhelia, Chakvetadze is an exceptional ball carrier, but the last 12 months have seen him improve his physical attributes so that it’s not uncommon to see opponents easily brushed aside during a bullish run from the Georgian.
Everything good comes through him and he’s a real fans favourite. We’ve loved and lost a few great players in recent years (I still miss Joao Pedro) and Chakvetadze will undoubtedly be the next player to break our hearts by leaving for a bigger club.
Mattie Pollock
Mattie is the son of Jamie Pollock, and when you see him play, you’ll see ridiculous similarities on the pitch. Undoubtedly the future club captain, Pollock puts his head where it hurts and is great in the air. That’s not to say that he can’t play a little, too – he can pick out a pass over various distances and doesn’t seem to be fazed under pressure.
Had to bide his time to make it into the Watford side are various loan moves, but Tom Cleverley trusts him and his patience has paid off, as he’s now arguably one of the first names on the team sheet.
Ryan Andrews
Another fan favourite, Andrews came through our academy and has now become a first-team regular at the club. That’s a rare occurrence for Watford under the current ownership, who took over in 2012. He scored the only goal in Watford’s win over Sunderland at the end of last season at Vicarage Road.
He’s rapid and an attacking threat from right-back, but still shows his inexperience with some poor passing choices at times. Andrews is definitely getting better, though – I think there’s a strong chance of him being a Premier League player in the next few years.
Moussa Sissoko
Probably not too popular in Sunderland following a three-year spell at Newcastle a decade ago, but he provides some real strength in the Watford midfield. Rejoined the club this summer after leaving in 2022 following our relegation from the Premier League and joining Nantes.
One his day, he provides strength and energy in the box-to-box midfield role and started the season really well. In the last match at Norwich City, however, his limitations were found out and our midfield got overrun by younger, quicker opponents.
Kwadwo Baah
This feels like a make-or-break season for Baah at Watford, but so far, the signs look very positive. He signed for the club in February 2021 as an 18-year-old from Rochdale after impressing in his first season as a professional but only made his club debut in August, three and a half years later.
After a disappointing loan in the German second tier in 2022-23, he did well at Burton Albion in League One last season in another loan deal, before injury ended his season early. He’s now come back looking more powerful and explosive than ever before, and Cleverley is attempting to convert him from a winger into a centre forward.
He’s had limited chances to show what he can do in the Championship so far, but with Vakoun Bayo and Daniel Jebbison hardly setting the world alight and Mileta Rajovic sent out on loan, it seems only a matter of time until he’s given his chance. I think we’ve got a future star on our hands, here.
