But the fightback to earn a 4-2 win against Slaven Bilic’s side clearly flooded the camp with confidence for the visit of United and Watford deservedly secured a second successive League victory.
Advertisement
Mazzarri is in no doubt over Deeney’s importance ahead of Watford’s battle with United and has compared him with a legendary Argentine.
Manchester United star Paul Pogba didn’t have the best of games against Watford on Sunday.
So far Mazzarri has kept last season’s successful strike partnership of Deeney and Odion Ighalo intact, with Pereyra typically deployed in an advanced midfield role behind them.
“I’ve only seen a few players do it and one of them was Maradona”.
“It was incredible, but what I ask from Deeney and the whole squad – but Deeney is captain – is continuity”. “We had a tougher start to the season with the five games we have had”.
“If we win, after two days of being very happy about it, it is up to me to tell the players to immediately concentrate and have their heads ready for the game next”.
Meanwhile, Deeney was one of the scorers as Watford breezed past United.
For Watford manager Walter Mazzarri it was also a satisfying victory against Jose Mourinho who, when the pair had worked in Italy, had labeled him a “donkey”. Yet since his arrival in England, Mazzarri has grown to appreciate the mutual respect he believes exists between managers, and said it is something from which Italian football can learn.
The Italian said: “The only problem Zuniga has at the moment is for himself to have 100 per cent condition”.
“I like the mentality on the United Kingdom a lot”. Coaches in Italy should be more like that.
Advertisement
“Whenever you win or lose you shake hands the opposition and it finishes there. Even if I was in Italy now that’s how I would act, like in the United Kingdom”. Stefano Okaka has been ruled out for the coming four to six weeks with the hamstring injury suffered at West Ham.
