Lowdown on new Watford boss from Spanish football expert.
“I can tell you that he wasn’t a household name in Spain when he took over as Real Valladolid manager late in the 2022/23 season. His time at the club was turbulent, to say the least, and his connection with the fans was sometimes toxic,” Sochon added. “I think he was always handicapped to some extent by being seen as ‘Ronaldo’s man’, given his previous job was at Cruzeiro, which was also owned by the former Real Madrid striker, who has become incredibly unpopular in Valladolid, with almost the entire fanbase now opposed to his ownership.”
“The decision to fire Pezzolano’s popular predecessor (Pacheta) with the club 15th in La Liga in April 2023 was also controversial, so there was pressure on the Uruguayan from the start, and it certainly grew when he failed to save the club from relegation. “The writing was on the wall for Pezzolano when he lost three of his first four games in the Segunda División, and he was already feeling the fire from fans. “However, on the surface, he performed an amazing job of turning their season around, eventually securing automatic promotion with one game to spare.
“Despite this, his strained connection with the fans persisted, and even in the game in which they gained promotion, he received criticism from the fans. “At the club’s promotion celebrations in the city centre soon after, Pezzolano took the microphone and attempted to lead a chant demanding for his own resignation in front of a slightly bewildered crowd. That probably gives you some idea of what kind of character he is.”
How was Pezzolano’s time in Spain viewed overall?
Mark Sochon: “Real Valladolid is perceived as a club that is poorly administered and has issues that extend beyond the man in the dugout. “As a result, while Pezzolano’s tenure at the José Zorrilla was initially perceived as a failure, he is surely not regarded as the primary cause of their current issues. “Overall, he did a good job in terms of steadying the ship after a very rocky start, and guiding the club back to the top flight where he was always going to find it difficult with such a limited squad.” He came in and couldn’t save Valladolid from relegation, but he did get them back to La Liga. Were they impressive during the promotion season?
MS: “Initially, no, which led to the toxic relationship that evolved between him and the fan base. “However, Pezzolano quickly adapted to the Segunda Division’s considerably different demands. “With a possession-based style, Real Valladolid continued to grind out results, culminating in a fantastic run towards the conclusion of the season to climb into the top two. “While it would be a stretch to suggest they were exceptionally impressive, the same could be said of most clubs promoted from Spain’s second tier. “It’s almost always very tight at the top, and his side handled the pressure of the promotion run-in better than their rivals.”
MS: “Despite winning their first game, it was evident from the start of the season that Real Valladolid would struggle, with very few players suited to life at the elite level. “Pezzolano did as well as could have been expected, and his team were competitive in most games, although their frailties were badly exposed in matches against Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, with a woeful 5-0 defeat at home to the latter ultimately leading to his dismissal.” What was his playing style and approach to the game? MS: “While his team in the Segunda División aimed to control the ball and wear out opponents, he never settled on a single system in the top division.“Initially, he was slightly more adventurous and there were moments where they did carry a threat on the flanks, particularly with their young winger Raúl Moro.
“However, he later reverted to a more defensive approach, which typically featured a back five in his final few games.” Was Valladolid’s defeat down to him, or was the team simply not good enough, as their form did not improve after he left? MS: “Pezzolano was undoubtedly not the primary reason for Real Valladolid’s defeat this season.
“This was always going to be a struggling squad in the top division, and with more than half of their points coming under the Uruguayan’s leadership, it’s apparent that things have become worse since he left. “The club have already been relegated and are on course for the lowest points tally of any La Liga team in the 21st Century, so it’s doubtful that anyone could have saved them this season.” What is his personality? Is he outgoing, quiet, demonstrative, or passive? MS: “The Uruguayan is definitely more of a demonstrative type. “He frequently expresses his feelings on the touchline, and he definitely has resilience, since many would have crumbled under the criticism he received during his time at Valladolid.
“Given how badly things have gone since he left, Pezzolano has reason to feel vindicated to a large extent, and his ability to win promotion with this group of players looks better today than it did at the time.” Does he speak English well enough to convey his thoughts? MS: “In a recent interview, he revealed that he has been diligently studying English in Manchester after his departure from Real Valladolid. “Given his motivated attitude, I would expect him to have made tremendous progress on that front, and he should be able to communicate with his players by now.
“However, working in English will still be a new challenge for Pezzolano, so he may need to lean on his backroom staff to some extent in the early days.”
How well do you think his style of football and way of working will suit the Championship?
MS: “I’d expect Pezzolano to look for his team to press high up the pitch and combine that with a possession-based approach.
“If he has the right blend of players to employ that kind of approach, he’s certainly capable of being a success in the Championship, although his spell at Valladolid would suggest that it may take some time for the Watford squad to fully adapt to his way of thinking.
“Pezzolano is willing to tweak his system according to the demands of each game, which may stand him in good stead as he looks to adapt to life in the English second tier, but he still has a pretty clear idea of how he’d like his teams to play.”
Watford have a young squad and the club have brought players through from their Academy. Did you see much evidence of Pezzolano doing that?
MS: “Pezzolano did help to develop some of the younger players at Real Valladolid.
“Lucas Rosa, Enzo Boyomo and Juma Bah have all since earned moves having impressed for Pezzolano, while Raúl Moro is also likely to move on this summer.
“There are fewer examples of him plucking players straight from the academy, although homegrown duo Chuki and David Torres did make their breaks into the senior set-up under Pezzolano.
“I’d certainly expect him to embrace the challenge of trying to develop young players at Watford.”
The Watford owner has said he is aiming for the play-offs, and even promotion. Watford finished 14th this season. From what you know and saw, how likely is Pezzolano to deliver on those ambitions?
MS: “There are some parallels to when Pezzolano took over at Valladolid, given that he is replacing a popular figure and may need to struggle to win over the fanbase. “I would want him to benefit from his experience in Spain and try to strengthen his bond with the Vicarage Road faithful. “However, there will be a significant amount of adaptation required in terms of managing in a new country, communicating in a different language, and competing in a new league that is very different from the ones he has previously worked in.” “There are obviously some big risks associated with this appointment.
“Given Watford’s track record of hiring and firing managers, along with Pezzolano’s fiery attitude and some of the early issues he encountered in Spain, many would undoubtedly anticipate this to blow up shortly. “For this to work, pre-season is likely to be critical, and Watford could benefit from doing the majority of their transfer business early on to give Pezzolano as much time as possible with his new squad as he tries to get his ideas across.” “If they can do that, and make a bright start that helps get the supporters on board, the 42-year-old might just surprise a few people as his track record is certainly very impressive when it comes to delivering promotions.”
Read more on sportupdates.co.uk
Leave a Reply