Watford head coach Nigel Pearson has no regrets or concern about prioritizing Premier League survival over FA Cup glory this season. Pearson reached the FA Cup final as a player with Middlesbrough in 1997 but, after playing at Bournemouth on Sunday he feels he has little choice but to rotate his squad.
Nigel Pearson said “I am paid to make decisions based on what is right for our club. I can’t be sentimental. I have always been someone who has enjoyed playing in cup runs, but I am a manager so my role is different. My role is to make decisions based on the planning for our week. We played Sunday, we play Tuesday and we got away with managing our way through the Christmas period, which was very hectic. The demands of the game now are incredibly high and the players’ work-rate at Bournemouth was unbelievable so we need to get the recovery right and make sure we are ready for the game on Saturday.”
Pearson insists had Watford not had so many games over Christmas, he would have played more first-team players for the first tie with Tranmere Rovers at Vicarage Road. Either ways. Nigel Pearson will be giving an advantage to Manchester United who are awaiting winners of the tie in next round.
