Valerin Ismael shrugged off Watford’s wastefulness in front of goal in the goalless draw against Plymouth at Vicarage Road and accentuated the positives from their performance.
His side managed just three efforts on target from 20 attempts on goals, with striker Vakoun Bayo especially profligate.
Bayo struck shots wide in both halves as Watford dominated a Plymouth side that were always dangerous on the counter-attack.
“I am really pleased with the performance. We said yesterday that it is important that we put these performances in with consistency and with the right mentality. We saw that again today,” Ismael said.
“But we were not ruthless enough. We put ourselves in great positions and we played some great football, but when you miss opportunities, you keep your opponent in the game and they think that they can maybe get more than one point.
“I think we are on the right path. I am a winner, it is clear, but as long as you show the right attitude, you cannot win every game. As long as the players are brave, I will accept mistakes.
“We don’t say don’t worry about it, and I know that Bayo is disappointed that he didn’t get a goal, but it’s important that you create chances. He worked hard and I’m sure he will get better when he gets his fitness.”
Ismael embodied the bravery he demands from his players when he made a quadruple substitution after 56 minutes.
He added: “With the four substitutes we got exactly what we wanted. We wanted to keep up the pressure because at the end of first half, our energy wasn’t at the same level especially with our press.
“We wanted to keep up the intensity and it worked. We created so many chances in the second half, but when you are on top, you have to score.”
Plymouth manager Steven Schumacher was delighted by his side’s performance, particularly the determination of central defensive pairing Dan Scarr and Lewis Gibson.
Schumacher said: “The whole team worked really hard to get a deserved clean sheet and that’s what it’s going to be. We’re not going to be able to come into the Championship and coast through games.
“Dan and Lewis were superb whenever Watford managed to get behind us and get crosses in.
“I thought it was a really good game as nil-nils go, really entertaining. Two teams who did absolutely everything to get the three points.
“We knew Watford would come in full of confidence, so we had to get our organisation right behind the ball, but we also posed a threat on the counter-attack.
“I said to the lads at half-time that we could score and cause a massive upset. We had the chances to score. It wasn’t to be but it’s still very pleasing to have four points after two games.”
Schumacher’s satisfaction was all the greater given Argyle’s travel issues on the eve of the game.
He added: “Getting out of Devon in August is a disaster, so we decided to take the train, but an earlier train was cancelled.
“That meant there were no seat reservations and our players had to sit on the floor or stand up for three-and-a-half hours. The kit man came on the bus and it took him eight hours. The players could have used that as an excuse, but they didn’t.”
Vardy eyes 100-point season after Leicester's title win
Jamie Vardy has challenged his Leicester City team-mates to reach 100 points after sealing the Championship title with one game to spare.
The Foxes were promoted back to the Premier League without kicking a ball after Leeds United’s 4-0 defeat to QPR on Friday, but they needed to win on Monday to earn top spot.
Enzo Maresca’s side cruised to a 3-0 victory over Preston through Vardy’s brace and Kasey McAteer’s header, moving them to 97 points.
With one last milestone in their reach, Vardy wants to make sure they end an already successful season on a high.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “We can celebrate it tonight, but now we have another target which is 100 points.
“We are over the moon. It has gone by quick but it's a graft. Not many days off, I'll tell you that.
“The lads - they've given it all. Thoroughly deserved, and I'm glad we've had 5000 to come and celebrate with us. It's not like it's 20 minutes up the road."
After a run of just three victories from nine games in the league between mid-February and April, Leicester have now won each of their last three outings.
Maresca has praised his players for their hard work in what he labelled a “tough season”.
“Fantastic, it's been a fantastic season. The Championship is a tough season and very intense, but I'm very happy," said Maresca.
"Now it's time to enjoy the work of the season to bring this special club back to the Premier League. We deserve it.
“The last two days they have been fantastic. We got promoted, but it was difficult in game preparation. But we used all of today to prepare for the game, the morning and afternoon. It was good.”
Barcelona 4-2 Valencia: Lewandowski hat-trick leads Barca to 4-2 win over 10-man Valencia
Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski scored a second-half hat-trick to help his side fight back to claim a hard-fought 4-2 win over Valencia, who were leading 2-1 when they were reduced to 10 men just before the break.
Fermin Lopez's header from a Raphinha cross put Barca in front after 22 minutes, but Valencia's Hugo Duro struck in the 27th and Pepelu scored from the spot after a foul by Ronald Araujo 11 minutes later to give the visitors the lead.
But after Valencia keeper Giorgi Mamardashvili saw red for a handball outside the box before the break, Xavi's side dominated and Lewandowski scored with two headers from corners in the 49th and 82nd minutes before getting his treble with a free-kick in added time.
The win postponed Real Madrid's almost inevitable LaLiga title celebrations for a couple of weeks as Carlo Ancelotti's side sit atop the standings on 84 points.
Barcelona moved back to second in LaLiga on Monday with 73 points as they leapfrogged surprise package Girona, who are third with 71. Those two teams will meet in a Catalonia derby on Saturday.
Data debrief
Barcelona conceded two goals in the first half of a home game for the second time this season, after also doing so against Girona in LaLiga in December 2023.
However, Lewandowski's goals have been invaluable to La Blaugrana this season as he's earned 17 points with his 16 goals in the league.
Preston 0-3 Leicester City: Foxes seal Championship title in style
Leicester City cruised to a 3-0 win over Preston in the Championship on Monday to clinch the title with a game to spare.
Jamie Vardy was the star for the Foxes as he scored in both halves before Kasey McAteer made sure of the points with an unmarked header.
Abdul Fatawu had the chance to cap an already memorable night for the travelling fans but hit the post with his curler.
Preston slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat, while Leicester go into their final game against Blackburn Rovers with the knowledge that they will lift the trophy after the final whistle.
Data Debrief
Jamie Vardy has scored 18 goals this season (two in this game), more than any other Leicester player in the competition. He has also netted in his last three games, scoring four goals in total.
It was a dominant performance from the Foxes, who had 19 shots with 11 of those on target. At the other end, Preston only managed to test Jakub Stolarczyk once from their five attempts.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
