English second-tier club Watford have sacked manager Valerian Ismael following Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Coventry City in the Championship. Their poor form has seen them lose six of their last eight games.
The Hornets lost to the Sky Blues 2-1 and fell to 13th place in the league. Currently, they are seven points clear of the relegation zone, and are far from making the play-offs.
By May last year, Watford had fallen to 11th in the Championship and the Frenchman took charge at Vicarage Road.
He signed a contract extension in October, but his poor performance has now come at a heavy price.
The Pozzo family has appointed Ismael as the team's 20th coach. In his 41 games as manager, Watford won 12, lost 15 and drew 14. Although he missed the game against Coventry, Ismael was in good spirits on Saturday, hours before he was sacked, praising his team's efforts.
“It's really disappointing today, but we saw a good performance from the players,” he said. “There's good energy on the pitch, there's good dynamics. We tried to change the way things went. Always taking an extra touch when going to take a shot, making sure the crosses were too high or too low. , I was blocked.
“We had a lot of shots on target today, so our game has come back, but now we just don't have the confidence to play freely. I thought we were really good and nothing came from Coventry today. I couldn't see it. It was just a day where everything went against me.”
What did Watford say?
Watford issued a formal statement thanking Ismael and his team for their efforts. But the board decided that, as they say, a change in management was needed to achieve better results.
“While the Hornets appreciate the dedication and contributions of Valerian and his staff, the club's board of directors believes the time is right to make changes to improve performance,” the statement said.
Former Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley has been appointed as Watford's interim manager to fill the vacant role. The 47-year-old's departure marks the club's 11th head coach since 2018.
In fact, this will be Cleverley's eighth time since the end of the 2020-21 season. Watford have been the 34-year-old's home base for a significant portion of his professional career.
“Tom Cleverley will be appointed as interim head coach at Vicarage Road. This follows Watford FC's termination of Valerian Ismael's contract following today's home defeat to Coventry City. “Tom Cleverley's staff will be determined in due course,” the Hornets confirmed.
What can Cleverley do at Watford?
Cleverley joined the club on loan a number of times before making the move permanent in 2017. He made 181 appearances for Vicarage Road, scoring 19 goals and assisting a further 15.
The former midfielder was a member of United's 2013 Premier League winners and Hornets' 2019 FA Cup winners. Now that he is Watford's head coach, Cleverley has the difficult task of ensuring the team qualify for the play-offs.
After retiring from football in 2023, the 34-year-old will start coaching Watford's Under-18s.
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