If Quique Sanchez Flores’ first press conference as Watford’s new manager was anything to go by, the Hornets have secured themselves a boss of the highest footballing class.
It is not just the Spaniard’s silky appearance, but his measured words which impressed on his first public outing.
“In my mind I have an idea of the new team, of Watford. I will work very hard to achieve something special,” he said. These are words which will come as the perfect antidote to fans demoralised by the departure of ex-boss Slavisa Jokanovic.
Flores has the authoritative ability to make you sit-up and listen, an attribute that captain Troy Deeney appeared to pick up on immediately.
“I honestly think he’s probably the best I’ve worked with,” Deeney told the club’s official website.
“Some managers try to force that they’re the boss, but even though he’s quite laid back, as soon as he’s talking everyone listens”.
And it is this which may have prompted owner Gino Pozzo to approach Flores in May, after Slavisa Jokanovic had guided the club into the Premier League for the third time in its history.
The Serb led his side masterfully, managing to produce attritional, winning football from the likes of Almen Abdi and Matej Vydra – the type who would not naturally play that way.
But while Jokanovic’s style was ideal for climbing out of the second tier, it could be that the owner thinks Flores is the man to take this side into another gear.
He boasts an impressive CV of past achievements. Diego Costa can thank him for his Atletico Madrid debut, while David Silva, David de Gea and Sergio Aguero have all come under his influence.
He made the headlines in England when his Atletico side beat Fulham in the 2010 Europa League final. While Diego Simeone has developed it further, it is worth remembering that Flores left him with a ready-made setup. Having waited paitently for his time to move to England, the opportunity of Watford was too good to turn down.
With a continental influence, the Hornets do appear to be the perfect fit for Flores; a view echoed by Sky Sports Spanish expert Guillem Balague.
“Unlike other coaches who maybe come to the Premier League unprepared, Sanchez Flores has been thinking about this for a long while”, Balague told Sky.
“His teams tend to be very balanced, he’s a disciple of Rafa Benitez; you take the maximum from the squad”.
While some may cringe at the Benitez comparison – perhaps fearing defensive football – there is plenty of reason to believe that Flores will get the best out of the attackers at the club.
For one, when you have such impressive strikers, it becomes hard not to. Troy Deeney has 66 goals in his last three seasons, while Odion Ighalo and Vydra scored 36 between them in the promotion winning campaign. The Hornets are not short of attacking options.
In terms of Flores’ numbers, he produced 1.61 goals per game at Atletico as he nurtured a young squad; Simeone’s side have managed 1.76 in his time with the finished product.
At Emirates-based side Al-Ahli, a dominant force in the UAE Pro League, his goals per game ratio was as high as 2.08. In other words, he has the ability to extract from his side precisely what is required.
He has produced winning percentages of over 50% with Valencia, Atletico and Al-Ahli while only slipping below 40% in short stints at Getafe.
While his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation does not appear to play directly to the squad’s strengths – Jokanovic soon learnt last season that he had to play a genuine front two to get the best out of his forwards – it is the formation most easily adaptable in the Premier League.
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While the midfield can be packed with the likes of Valon Behrami and Ben Watson for games in which the Hornets spend long periods of time defending, Abdi and Vydra can be unleashed in the same system when Flores hopes to be on the front foot.
The Spaniard’s desire for a high pressing and attractive game suits the Premier League and should fit the set of players at his disposal. With his record, Watford fans have every reason to be hopeful of survival with Flores at the helm.
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