Capow! Explaining the resurgence of Super Etienne

In keeping with recent Premier League tradition, Watford have made a fast start to the season. Javi Gracia seems to have created a harmonious camp, with everyone pulling in the same direction and egos being put to one side for the greater good. He’s also overseen an upturn in form for several key players – Holebas and Janmaat have been unrecognisable from their performances last season, Roberto Pereyra seems to be scoring classy goals every other week and Isaac Success’ start to the season hints at the possibility of finally fulfilling his undoubted potential.

But standing above all of these is Etienne Capoue. He has been the best player so far this season, outshining even his much-coveted central midfield partner Abdoulaye Doucoure. This version of Capoue looks an absolute snip at the quoted £6 million (then a record fee) that Watford paid Tottenham. Capoue has always shown ability at Watford but all too often only in patches. Last season, Valon Behrami claimed that Capoue was not just the best midfielder but the best player at Watford, an assessment that few fans would’ve agreed with at that point. This season, Capoue has been consistently good, and the reason seems to be Gracia subtly changing his position.

Capoue is playing deeper this season, something that is reflected in his stats. Gracia has given him the role of protecting the back four, and breaking up play, something which he is excelling at. Capoue is a midfielder that can do it all – stick a foot in, surge past players, hit cross field passes, shoot from range and nutmeg opposition players for fun. But this season, he has shone by focussing on stopping the opposition playing, so that the defence is protected and Watford can launch quick counters.

Capoue’s defensive output per 90 minutes is better than any of his other Premier League seasons at Watford. He’s making considerably more tackles, interceptions and clearances than he ever has before for the Hornets.

Season	Tackles	Interceptions	Clearances
18/19	3.4	3.2	2.1
17/18	1.9	1.9	1.5
16/17	1.6	1.6	0.7
15/16	2.9	2.5	1.4

On the other hand, he’s far less involved at the other end of the pitch, having fewer shots and far fewer passes that lead to a team mate taking a shot:

Season	Shots	Passes leading directly to a shot
18/19	0.8	0.1
17/18	1	0.3
16/17	1.4	1
15/16	1.1	0.7

By allowing Capoue to concentrate on his defensive duties, and simplifying his role, Gracia seems to have unlocked a vein of form that was elusive for previous managers. In Watford’s first season, Capoue’s midfield partner was Ben Watson, who took the role as the midfield anchor. The onus was on Capoue to drive forward and be the more creative of the two. The first few months of that season were probably his best spell up until the current hot streak. The following season saw a disjointed year under Walter Mazzarri. Capoue played all bar one game but had a variety of midfield companions, with Doucoure, Cleverley, Zuniga, Pereyra, Behrami and Guedioura all playing alongside him in a midfield three.

Last season, the signing of Nathaniel Chalobah, the permanent signing of Cleverley, the imperious form of Doucoure and a head coach that didn’t fancy him made it look like Capoue had gone from record signing to bit part player within three seasons. The lowest point came when Silva inexplicably tried to play Capoue as a number 10 against an out of form Stoke last year. It was a terrible decision and the first warning sign that things might go south under Silva. Stoke came and sat deep and Capoue looked like a fish out of water.

Playing as a number 10 against a packed defence needs a player that can receive the ball on the half-turn, find pockets of space and look to thread balls into other attackers. Capoue is a player that is at his best when the game takes place in front of him, with him able to survey the pitch and drive the play from deep. He’s better at arriving late on the edge of the box than being ahead of the ball and receiving it into feet. That Silva couldn’t identify this, and chose Capoue ahead of Will Hughes in this position raised a real question as to how well he knew his squad. Even Capoue confessed he was somewhat baffled by Silva’s attempts to convert him to a more advanced role. After the Stoke game, Capoue barely featured under Silva, even after all the wheels had well and truly come off. One of the first decisions Gracia made when he took over at Watford was to return Capoue to the starting line up, and move him back to his current position.

As well as his excellent form this season, there’s another reason why Capoue is important to the team – he’s a big personality in the dressing room. During the close season, the club released a series of “Team mates” videos on YouTube, and almost every player said that Capoue was the loudest in the dressing room, always singing, dancing and laughing. This might come as a bit of a surprise to fans as Capoue has previously explained that football is just a job for him, giving the impression he could take it or leave it. With that and his laid-back demeanour, one might have assumed he just came in to work, quietly got on with it before heading home to his family. As player after player smiled as they named Capoue as their loudest team mate, it became clear that he is the heartbeat of the dressing room. It’s therefore fitting that so far this season, Super Etienne is also the main man on the pitch.

As usual, all stats pilfered from Whoscored.com.