Watford coach bemoans first half performance

Two fine Derby County strikes ultimately beat the Hornets on Saturday but Watford Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic felt his side’s poor first-half performance left them chasing the game. Jordan Ibe’s goal six minutes before the break saw the Hornets 1-0 down as the home side struggled to find their rhythm. “We weren’t aggressive enough, we didn’t press the ball enough, and we were slow with the ball,” explained Jokanovic . There was an undoubted improvement after the break as Watford came alive and took the game to the Rams. Sub Gianni Munari made it 1-1 but the Hornets were undone by Craig Bryson’s impressive winner nine minutes from the end. “Tactically we didn’t change much at half-time, the level of performance was just improved. “The next 45 minutes we played very well and made many chances. Overall we were much better,” added Jokanovic. “We pressed better, were braver and started to have possession of the ball more. We had chances in the first half too, but were better in the second. “This is something we need to do for the whole game.” Jokanovic was pleased with the performance of keeper Jonathan Bond, as he stepped into Heurelho Gomes’ shoes and made a number of fine saves. “That’s the second time Bondy has played for me – he made some good saves,” Jokanovic noted.