Watford may have lost to Manchester City on Tuesday night in the EFL Cup, but they should be commended for their effort at the Etihad Stadium.
In former seasons, Watford supporters would have been pleasantly pleased by their tight 2-1 loss to Pep Guardiola’s team. However, there are a lot of positives for Tom Cleverley to focus on as his team returns to Championship action.
Tom Ince’s performance was one of these highlights; the 32-year-old scored a stunning goal to give Watford hope of a late comeback, easily defeating Stefan Ortega in the City goal with a curling attempt.
Although Ince has had difficulty playing consistently in the Championship this year, he has impressed in the cup when Cleverley has switched up the lineup. It may have been a wise move to extend his contract in the summer.
Tom Ince’s EFL Cup form indicates that he still has a lot to provide. Although Ince has had difficulty playing consistently in the Championship this year, he has impressed in the cup when Cleverley has switched up the lineup. It may have been a wise move to extend his contract in the summer.
Tom Ince’s EFL Cup form indicates that he still has a lot to provide.
Ince is into his second year as a Watford player, and despite not featuring all too regularly last season, the club had seen enough to extend his deal by two years in the summer.
This might have seemed a strange move given the fact that Ince is 32 and had started just eight league games last season, and eyebrows would no doubt have been raised by the decision given his lack of playing time in the Championship so far this season.
In total, Ince has made just two substitute appearances in the league, totaling just 14 minutes, and some of the Hornets’ faithful may well have questioned why they renewed his contract.
However, Ince has been given opportunities to play in the Carabao Cup, starting all three of their fixtures, and he impressed, scoring four times in the three fixtures, and also registering an assist.
This shows that Ince is still a very good player, and his finish against City on Tuesday night was one that world-class players would have been proud of, and while he may not be a starter in the league this season, he still has plenty to offer from the bench.
While he may not have had too many chances in the league, Cleverley clearly likes Ince, hence giving him a new deal in the summer and probably feels that his experience will come in handy over the course of a 46-game season.
With nearly 400 Championship appearances under his belt, the club’s decision to hand him a new contract will likely pay dividends as the season progresses and if his cup displays are anything to go by, Ince is still a more than capable performer.
Tom Ince will be a useful option when squad depth is tested
While Ince has barely featured in the league this season, it’s important to remember that we’re six games into a 46 game season, and he’ll definitely get chances as the campaign progresses.
There haven’t been any midweek Championship fixtures yet, but you can guarantee that when Watford are being asked to play three league games in a week, Cleverley will have to freshen up the starting XI, and that’s when Ince will be used.
Injuries, suspension and fatigue mean that players won’t always be available, and Ince will likely come into his own then, and you can see exactly why he was given a new deal, as someone with that experience and quality will be very useful as cover.
The 32-year-old would likely have known that he was signing up for a bit-part role when he put pen-to-paper on fresh terms, and he’ll know that he has to take his chance in the league to ensure he sees more regular minutes.
Ince couldn’t have done much more to impress Cleverley during their EFL Cup campaign, and you can definitely expect him to feature in the league when the busy Championship schedule really kicks in next month.
Watford’s decision to renew Ince’s contract may just prove an incredibly shrewd bit of business over the coming months, and you can expect him to play an important role both from the bench and from the start when the Hornets’ squad depth is tested.
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