Roy Hodgson says he was not worried by Manchester United’s attacks against Watford

Add as preferred source on Google

Watford boss Roy Hodgson has a frustratingly good recent record against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Having won his last two matches in the away dugout with Crystal Palace, his Watford side held United to a draw on Saturday.

United just could not find a way through Watford’s resolute backline, despite the Hornets conceding four against Palace only days earlier.

During the one-sided encounter, United held 68 per cent possession and managed 22 shots. However only three of these attempts were on target.

Hodgson was not concerned

Amid United’s continued attempts to break Watford down, Hornets boss Roy Hodgson says he was not overly concerned.

Speaking to Watford’s official website, Hodgson said: “We held our own exceptionally well. I wasn’t thinking they were going to score every time they had the ball.

“They had quite a lot of the ball around our area, but they didn’t create a myriad of chances, although Ben Foster dealt with the best of what they did carve out. If you’re going to play against global superstars, you’re going to need a keeper as good as Ben Foster.”

Foster became the oldest opposition goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet against Manchester United in Premier League history.

Hodgson’s comments should be viewed as concerning for United. While the Red Devils enjoyed plenty of possession and territorial advantage, not enough was done with it.

In the second half especially, United struggled to create clear cut opportunities, with Anthony Elanga coming closest when he fired narrowly wide.

United should be causing worry for opposing teams and their manager, and they should not feel calm and complacent like Roy Hodgson did.

Hodgson is an experienced manager and he knows when a team ‘has it’ and when they don’t. And quite rightly he felt United were not strong enough to cause his side real problems on Saturday.