Watford boss Claudio Ranieri tells his players to forget their Everton heroics

Claudio Ranieri has told Watford to forget their Everton heroics and focus on “dangerous” Southampton

The Hornets were buzzing after their stunning victory at Goodison Park last weekend, when they came from 2-1 down to win 5-2.

“Of course the boost it gave the club was very important, as well as the three points on the table,” said Ranieri.

“But now, I’ve forgotten it. We must forget what happened. We must continue this way and now there will be a very difficult match, because every match in the Premier League is difficult.

“We must be very careful and play with a lot of intelligence. It is a dangerous, dangerous match on Saturday.

“Their team is a squad. They move all together. They know what they have to do, not only the first XI, but also the team who played against Chelsea (in the Carabao Cup).”

In 2019, a 2-0 defeat by Southampton cost Ranieri his job as Fulham manager after just 106 days in charge.

But Ranieri says revenge is not on his mind, smiling: “I think I lost my job at Fulham when I signed.

“There’s no revenge. It’s football. Always I want to do well for my team. But no revenge. I didn’t remember!”

Joshua King’s hat-trick at Everton was his first in the Premier League but it was his all-round display which caught Ranieri’s eye.

“Joshua surprised me because I didn’t remember him very well,” added the Italian.

“I said ‘well done’ to him but not for the hat-trick, but for how he played. He held the ball up very, very well. He gave the time for his team-mates, closed down every action very well.”

Danny Rose has recovered from the minor calf injury that saw him miss the trip to Everton, but fellow full-back Kiko Femenia remains a doubt with a hip problem.

Ranieri will also be without forward Emmanuel Dennis, who is suspended after picking up five yellow cards.

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