Watford head coach Javi Gracia admits side conceded 'cheap' goals in Tottenham defeat
Monday 30 April 2018 23:25, UK
Javi Gracia says he is not concerned about his future as Watford head coach but admitted "cheap" goals cost his side in the 2-0 defeat by Tottenham at Wembley.
The Hornets succumbed to strikes from Dele Alli and Harry Kane in each half, but Richarlison and Andre Gray missed opportunities to level with the game in the balance.
The Hornets remain in 13th place after stretching their run without a win to seven games despite an improved performance that went unrewarded.
Gracia's side have failed to score in five of those matches, and he told Sky Sports: "Today was frustrating because again we competed very well. In the first half, we created many chances to score.
"We conceded cheaply in our box and we weren't able to score the goals in the other box. If you don't have the control of the boxes it's difficult to win games.
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"Tottenham scored with their first chance. We were playing against a very good team and it was very difficult in the second half."
Watford have now lost six of the 12 league games under their head coach, and the early optimism under Gracia has worn off - especially away from home, having picked up one point from eight away league games in 2018.
Watford have collected just 0.9 points per game since Christmas to continue a worrying trend of deteriorating in the second half of each of their three seasons since returning to the top flight.
But Gracia is focused on building some momentum in the final two matches heading into the summer.
He added: "I'm focused on the next game and I'll try to improve our position in the Premier League, the best the club has ever got. This is our target and our focus is on the next game against Newcastle.
"We are not scoring goals in this moment but we are creating many chances. We have had good performance in the last couple of games but it's not enough at this moment. We must continue and try to get three points."
