New Watford Boss Javi Gracia Wants Intensity Following Scrappy Draw Away to Stoke

Author:
90 Min
Publish date:
Feb 1, 2018

New Watford boss Javi Gracia enjoyed his first Premier League game against Stoke City, despite the game finishing as goalless draw.

It was a very ferocious and scrappy fixture that produced seven yellow cards and lacked a certain quality that could've easily seen either side edge the other out.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Gracia commented: "It enjoyed it a lot. Maybe this match was tough, and very physically intense but we tried to look for a result. We had more control in the first half, in the second both sides had chances to score.

"It was the first clean sheet we kept in twelve matches and we got a point. But we'll try to get three points next time when we're playing at home."

Gracia also commented on the feisty nature of the game, hinting that he told his players to ramp up their aggression going into the game.

"We need to play with intensity. This way is the beginning of playing well, after that we'll have some quality. The first thing is to play with aggression and intensity."

He also commented on his new signing, Gerard Deulofeu, who arrived on loan from Barcelona on Monday.

"Gerard played well. He made a big effort to help the defensive balance of the team and create many chances for us to score and I'm happy with his work today and I hope he'll improve day-by-day."