Soccer-Gracia wants misfiring Watford to use Coventry clash as launchpad

The only Premier League team without a point after three matches, Watford are in dire need of a confidence-boosting win and manager Javi Gracia hopes Tuesday's League Cup second-round clash with Coventry City will kickstart their season. A 3-1 home loss to West Ham United on Saturday heaped the pressure on Gracia but the Spaniard says Watford can use the Cup match to iron out their problems before getting back to league business at Newcastle United.

"It's a good opportunity to try and improve our balance between defending and attacking. We need to do it quickly," Gracia told Watford's website https://www.watfordfc.com/teams/first-team/gracia-we-need-fresh-legs-compete. "It's a good chance to try and play well, to try and get a good result. It helps us to get more confidence for the next (Premier League) game.

"We have to be ready to compete well. It doesn't matter if we are playing Coventry or another team... This is a good chance and we have to take it and prepare well. Nothing else matters -- only this game, the next one."