Watford boss Ismael felt ‘let down’ by his subs at Norwich
On the cusp of a comeback against a home side that looked totally bewildered and struggling to cope both with Watford and the toxic vibes coming from their own fans – how did the game at Carrow Road go from there to a 4-2 defeat?
While the middle hour or so of the game at Carrow Road was pretty much controlled by the Hornets, the way they started and finished the game meant they went home with nothing when they really ought to have taken at least a point.
While opening 20 minutes or so were bad, Watford had recovered – in fact, they had done more than that as from 2-0 down they had fought back to 2-2 and only had to push at the thin veneer of Norwich confidence which was also being chipped away at by the home supporters to make it crack.
Instead, the Hornets imploded. While there was an element of misfortune about the third goal, it wasn’t the killer blow.
That was delivered soon after when Norwich scored a fourth, with most of the Watford players watching on rather than getting involved.
Valerien Ismael pointed the finger at those players that came onto the pitch in the second half.
“When you make some substitutions you expect everyone to be on top and to help the team, especially to help those players who had already been on for 60/70/80 minutes and had worked hard,” he said.
“Those players who had been on the pitch already tried hard to do everything to get us back into the game and then to win the game, but then it will be difficult if not everyone is on top.
“It is unacceptable how it happened. It is as simple as that.
“When a player comes on the pitch they need to have the desire to bring something for the team, and to help their teammates.
“We feel let down in that situation.”
The head coach said he didn’t need to say too much after the game, suggesting the players had a frank discussion about what happened.
