RALPH Hasenhuttl admits he “understands” Watford’s desire to waste time while leading, but questions whether supporters want to see it with referees and officials left powerless.
Ralph Hasenhuttl said: “We know that the Premier League is a tough league. And when you have a start like we had today, a chance to score and then concede a goal, nearly an own goal, and then things are going in a different direction. I must congratulate Watford for the three points, they absolutely need them, they deserve them because of their defensive performance. Their coolness and cleverness. I would maybe do the same when in a relegation battle, I don’t know if I want to see this in the Premier League where every action is stopped immediately with one laying on the ground after every foul. But I understand this, they are fighting for their life. It is hard then to find the rhythm for us, hard to find our game and this is the second time this week this happens. Against Newcastle it was very similar, we must learn to find solutions to this. As a young team we must learn to stay cool, to stay patient and to break them down and create chances to score. But that good we are not so far, this is what we have to learn. Our decision making was driven from stress, from impatience and not waiting for the right moment because of what I have just said. This is what we are missing at the moment. You could feel that we had definitely not our highest level with the ball and not our highest level against the ball. Then it looks like this.”
Asked if the referees should be doing more to prevent it, Hasenhuttl admitted they could not.
Ralph Hasenhuttl admitted: “I had the discussion on Thursday evening with the same couple (Graham Scott and Kevin Friend). The other one was the fourth official and the other was leading the match and what can they do? This is a very difficult situation for them, they stop games because somebody is lying on the ground. We can never keep on playing, what can they do? This is tough, I understand completely they are in a relegation battle and need everything to stop our rhythm, I only don’t know if people want to see this? This is not for me to decide, but for the supporters to decide if they want to see this.”
