Watford 0-5 Liverpool: Five talking points with Claudio Ranieri already under pressure after his first game

Claudio Ranieri’s Watford lost 5-0 to a rampant Liverpool side who were too hot to handle at Vicarage Road.

The defeat means Watford have now slipped into 15th on the league table and could be down the relegation zone by close of day if other results go against them.

So with the defeat to Liverpool laying bare the problems at Vicarage Road, here are some of the changes Ranieri should be aiming at if he is to turn things around.

Instil confidence and belief

Watford conceded in the first ten minutes of both half and with the last kick of the game against Liverpool, even though that happens in football it’s not a good sign.

It took The Hornets 25 minutes to register their first shot on target and they spent large parts of the game camped in their own half and looking like a team waiting to be beaten.

The Premier League is a brutal place and Ranieri will know that lifting the confidence and instilling belief is the first button after a deflated debut defeat.

Settle on a system of play

Watford started the game with a back four and after conceding the first goal quickly went into a back five before seeing out the first half playing three at the back.

All of that was in the first 45 minutes and even though the timing of Ranieri’s appointment and international break meant he had little time to prepare a team for this game, the Italian manager will have to figure out the best system that suits the type of players at his disposal and then build from there.

Watford’s history of 17 managers in the last 10 years tell us that the club owners don’t waste time in pulling the plugs if they sense the team is not making progress.

Make plans for the January transfer window

Amongst the London teams Watford will lose the most players to the looming Africa Cup of Nations and they’ll have to act early in the January transfer window to avoid feeling the entire impact.

The puzzle for Ranieri is that three of the 11 players who started against Liverpool will likely be away in Cameroon and that will affect both his immediate and future plans but, that is exactly how herculean the task is at the moment.

Finding the players who will get him the points now and keep an eye on those who will fill in to keep the team afloat while the likes of Ismaila Sarr are away for almost a month.

Quickly forget about this Liverpool defeat

It’s hard to easily forget your debut at a club but Ranieri is experienced enough to know that football always gives you an opportunity to make up for your losses and, Everton is just a few days away so they will have little time to sulk. At this level games come thick and fast, the next game is just around the corner.

Build around Ismaila Sarr

Ismaila Sarr has been undoubtedly the best player at the club in the last three seasons and these days when he doesn’t play well then everyone else is affected.

Against Liverpool he could barely get a touch and when he did, it was deep in the middle of the park where his chances of hurting the opponent was very limited.

The owners of Watford have shown a lot of ambition by holding on to the Senegalese forward even when they went down to the Championship but, now is the time to get the best out of him by finding the best system and bring in good quality players to aid his growth.