- Founded 1881
- Stadium Vicarage Road
- Manager Alessio Dionisi
- Competition Championship 2026-27
- Goals 10
- Goals Conceded 19
- Yellow Cards 30
- Total Red Cards
Watford Squawka Score ratings 2026/27
Seven goals in eight games has Watford 20th and uncomfortably close to the bottom three. Alessio Dionisi’s first season has produced two wins, two draws and four defeats, and only a goalkeeper in outstanding form has kept the gap manageable. Below, we take a look at Watford’s most-used XI so far and how each player has performed, based on the Squawka Score rating system.
The Squawka Score is a metric developed to assess a player’s performance relative to other players in the same position. It is shown as a percentage, and it is worth knowing that 66% is average rather than 50% – a 70% is a good afternoon and 85% or above marks out one of the best players on the pitch. Each score is calculated from a range of per-90-minute statistics, taking in the obvious numbers such as goals and assists alongside some more obscure ones that are far more position-specific. A player’s season figure is simply the average of his match ratings.
One note on the Championship: the division does not carry expected-goals data, so these ratings are built on volume and quality of actions – shots, big chances, duels, clearances, passes into the box – rather than xG and xA.
GK: Federico Ravaglia – 72% – The best player at the club. Twenty-eight saves from every available minute, the most of any goalkeeper in the division, with five completed sweeper actions and no errors charged. Ravaglia has been single-handedly responsible for several of Watford’s points.
RB: Omar Haktab Traoré – 60% – An assist from five starts and very little else. Traoré has not established himself and right-back remains unsettled.
RCB: Mattie Pollock – 65% – Sixty-two clearances, 12 blocked shots and 55 progressive passes all lead the club, with 11 interceptions and seven tackles won from every available minute. Pollock has been the one consistently reliable outfield presence.
LCB: Kévin Keben – 58% – Thirty-four clearances, 10 blocked shots and 20 possessions regained in his own third from every available minute, but an error leading to a goal and a thin return elsewhere leave Keben on 58%.
LB: Jordan Zemura – 62% – Nine chances created, 33 passes into the penalty area, eight tackles won, nine corners and two direct free-kicks, all club-leading figures among the defenders. Zemura has been Watford’s main source of delivery from the left.
RCM: Edoardo Bove – 61% – Four starts from five appearances with eight tackles won. Bove has not had a settled run and the numbers are correspondingly thin.
LCM: Hector Kyprianou – 62% – Thirteen interceptions leads the club, with 35 duels won, 47 passes into the final third and six blocked shots from every available minute. An error leading to a shot and two big chances missed are what hold the rating down.
AM: Iker Bravo – 69% – Fifteen shots, six on target, a club-leading 43 duels won and 20 completed take-ons, plus a goal, an assist and 55 passes into the final third. Bravo has been Watford’s most willing attacking presence and carries the ball further than anyone else in the side.
RW: Othmane Maamma – 69% – Fourteen completed take-ons, seven chances created, 25 passes into the penalty area and a club-leading 19 possessions regained in the middle third. Maamma works hard on both sides of the ball; the lack of a goal is the gap.
LW: Amin Nabizada – 66% – Three goals from 10 shots is the best scoring return at the club, achieved in only 395 minutes. Three yellow cards is the highest figure in the squad, but Nabizada is the closest thing Watford have to a finisher.
ST: Mamadou Doumbia – 54% – The lowest rating in the side. One goal from five starts, with 42 duels lost and 12 fouls conceded, and only 14 touches in the opposition box in 489 minutes. Doumbia has been starved of service and has not helped himself.
Watford’s set-piece specialists
- Penalties: Imran Louza
- Free-kicks: Jordan Zemura, Martín Payero
- Corners: Jordan Zemura, Othmane Maamma
Jordan Zemura and Othmane Maamma have taken 9 of Watford’s corners each. Jordan Zemura has had two of the direct free-kicks. Watford are yet to be awarded a penalty, so Imran Louza’s status as the taker is inherited rather than proven.
Watford FAQs
How have Watford started the 2026/27 season?
Badly in front of goal. Watford are 20th on eight points from eight games, with two wins and four defeats, and have scored only seven goals.
Who is Watford’s best player this season?
Goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia on 72%, with 28 saves – more than any other goalkeeper in the Championship.
Where did Watford finish in the 2025/26 Championship season?
The Hornets gathered 57 points across 46 matches to conclude the previous second-tier campaign in 16th place.
Who is the Watford manager?
Alessio Dionisi is the head coach of Watford. The Italian manager signed a two-year contract ahead of the 2026/27 season.
Who is the current Watford captain?
Imran Louza serves as the Watford club captain, orchestrating the side from central midfield.