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A hasty decision? – Watford may be left to regret Javi Gracia’s sacking and here’s why the decision is poor
Watford might be left to rue the sacking of Javi Gracia
According to The Guardian, Watford have sacked manager Javi Gracia just four games into the new Premier League season, with the Hornets opting to rehire former manager Quique Sanchez Flores at the helm of affairs.
Having accumulated just a single point from their first four games in the Premier League this term, the Watford hierarchy finally ran out of patience and pulled the trigger on Gracia, who held the head coaching role for 20 months after replacing Marco Silva in 2018.
Gracia’s dismissal and the subsequent appointment of Sanchez Flores, which came just within 30 minutes of the club’s decision to sack his compatriot, marks the 11th managerial change at Vicarage Road in just over eight years since Sean Dyche left in 2012.
Despite Watford’s resurgence from a Championship outfit to a mid-table Premier League club over the course of Gino Pozzo’s reign at Hertfordshire, the likes of Gianfranco Zola, Giuseppe Sannino, Oscar Garcia, Billy McKinlay (on a caretaker basis), Slavisa Jokanovic, Sánchez Flores, Walter Mazzarri, Marco Silva and now Gracia have all lost the Italian owner’s confidence at some point of time.
However, the decision to sack Javi Gracia is likely to evoke mixed reactions amongst the Vicarage Road faithful, given that Watford achieved their best-ever finish in the Premier League last season since their return to the top-flight four years ago.
While some might feel that the club needed a change at the helm of affairs after failing to win any of their last eight league games, a run that stretches back to April in the 2018-19 season, others might be of the opinion that the Hornets needed to show more confidence in the Spaniard’s abilities, especially after he led them to a respectable 11th place finish in the Premier League, as well as a first FA Cup final in nearly 40 years, in the previous campaign.
To put things into perspective, Pozzo’s impatience with the managers has sparked plenty of controversy over the years and the dismissal of Gracia is definitely going to be up for some debate in the media, given that he achieved a lot more than his predecessors, including Sanchez Flores.
Quique Sanchez Flores, who previously managed Watford during the 2015-16 season, had led the club to a 13th place finish and an FA Cup semi-final but that apparently didn’t go down well with the club’s owners and his departure took a lot of people by surprise.
Indeed, the 54-year-old, who masterminded Atletico Madrid’s route to glory in the 2009-10 season, does have an impressive CV to manage any top club in Europe. The main question, though, lies here:- Did Watford really need a managerial change at this point of the season?
Well, the answer to that is not pretty straightforward and quite tricky, to say the least. The owners might have hoped for a bright start to the season, especially after bringing in players like Ismaila Sarr, Craig Dawson and Danny Welbeck in the summer and the club’s position at the bottom of the table after four games somehow led to them being convinced that Gracia is not the right person to take the Hornets forward.
That, again, comes as a bit of a surprise because Watford had only secured the long-term future of Gracia with a lucrative new four-and-a-half-year deal last season following his successful start to life at Vicarage Road.
Interestingly, if they had thought back then that Gracia was a part of their long-term plans moving forward, one cannot help but wonder as to what might have changed over the past eight months that led to them opting for a new manager.
Yes, Watford endured a poor start to the season and things have gone a bit downhill with them in the Premier League since April but that can happen to any team in such a competitive league and the Hornets haven’t done a world of good to their long-term plans by pulling the trigger on Gracia.
Watford needed to retain his services for a considerable period of time to allow him to bring about a big change and such instability at the helm isn’t going to help them capitalise on their Premier League status and challenge for bigger things in the foreseeable future.
Not only had Gracia brought an impressive brand of football to Vicarage Road, but he also impressed with his humility, man-management skills, ability to extract the best out of the players, tactical nous and general detailed approach to management over the course of his tenure at the club.
It is true that Sanchez Flores has the know-how to take the club in the right direction but Watford could have waited for a couple of months more before dismissing Gracia.
The club’s march to the FA Cup finals last year was regarded as a sensational feat and, while it is not to say that the Hornets should have continued to bask in the past glory, Gracia certainly deserved a better chance to turn the club’s fortunes around and, with Sarr and Welbeck expected to return to full fitness after the international break, things could have been so different.
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Whether or not Watford would go on to rue the departure of Gracia is something that only time will reveal but it would be fair to say that the Spaniard didn’t deserve such an end to his tenure after an impressive campaign last time around.
Andriani Michael is a housekeeper known for being the wife of one of the most underrated mid-fielders, Jack Andrew Garry Wilshere.
Michael comes from England, and she is known for being the partner of the youngest-ever debutant in the premier league Jack Wilshere.
Andriani Michael Facts
| Birth Place | England |
| Father’s Name | Michael Michael |
| Mother’s Name | NA |
| Star Sign | Gemini |
| Net Worth (2023) | $59 million |
| Salary (2023) | NA |
| Age | 32 |
| Date of Birth | May 22, 1991 |
| University | NA |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse | Jack Wilshere |
| Children | 4 Children |
| Social Media | Instagram, |
Andriani Michael and Jack Wilshere Families
Andriani was born on May 22, 1991, in England, and she is the daughter of Michael, a barber who owns a barbershop in Cockfosters. Nothing much has been disclosed about the rest of her family.
Jack Wilshere was born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, on January 1, 1992, to father Andrew Wilshere and mother, Kerry Wilshere. He captained The Priory School football team to Country Cup and District Cup glory from Year 7 to Year 10.
Andriani Michael’s husband, Jack Wilshere
Jack joined the Arsenal academy in October 2001 at the age of nine and rose through the ranks at the age of 15. He was then named captain of the U-16s and made a few appearances for the Under-18s.
Wilshere made his first-team debut in 2008 by becoming the youngest ever league debutant at 16 years, 256 days. He is without a club currently and is training with Arsenal’s first team to keep himself fit while looking for a new club. Wilshere has earned many accolades, including the PFA Young Player of the Year and Arsenal’s Player of the Season award.
Jack has played International football for England and has represented the country under-16, under-17, and under-18. And under-21 levels. He is also the 12th youngest debutant in England’s history at just the age of 18.
Andriani Michael and Jack Wilshere Kids
Jack was first in a relationship with Lauren Neal and has two kids with her, Archie and Delilah Wilshere, born in 2011 and 2013. He met Andriani in her father’s barbershop after breaking up with his former girlfriend, Lauren.
Jack and Andriani fell in love with each other, and the couple tied the knot in 2017 in a three-day bash in Italy. They gave birth to their first baby Siena Wilshere, the second daughter of Jack, and In February 2020, they welcomed another boy, who has the same name as his father, Jack Wilshere.
Andriani Michael Profession, Career, Net Worth
Andriani is a housekeeper and maintains a shallow profile on the internet, especially on social media. She does have an Instagram, but it is private.
Nothing is disclosed about her professional life, but She and Jack have an estimated net worth of $60 million.
FAQs about Andriani Michael
| When did Andriani Michael and Jack Wilshere get married? |
| They got married in 2017. |
| What is Andriani doing now? |
| She is Housekeeper |
| How old is Andriani? |
| Andriani is 32 years old |
| Nationality of Andriani? |
| Andriani Michael is an English |
| What is Andriani’s net worth? |
| They have an estimated net worth of $59 million. |
Read More on Football:
Celtic dealt major blow in pursuit of Bologna star Aaron Hickey
According to La Nazione (h/t Daily Record), Fiorentina have intensified negotiations with fellow Serie A club Bologna for the signing of Celtic target Aaron Hickey, dealing a blow to the Hoops.
Hickey started out at the academy of Scottish club Heart of Midlothian FC and briefly spent time at Celtic as well before returning to Hearts, where he graduated to the first-team and went on to make 34 senior appearances.
The young left-back, who scored and assisted one goal apiece for his boyhood club, was snapped up by Serie A side Bologna in the summer of last year. Hickey did not feature regularly for the Serie A outfit due to injury problems. Indeed, the 19-year-old featured in just 12 games throughout the 2020/21 season.
But his stock remains high as ever, as Celtic are intent on bringing him back to Scotland this summer. The Hoops, embarking on a new journey under new manager Ange Postecoglou, are looking to bolster their defensive department.
Having decided not to sign Diego Laxalt permanently, Celtic have just Boli Bolingoli and Greg Taylor as options at left-back, with the former unsure of a future after returning from loan. So, signing someone like Hickey, who can make the spot his own for the coming years, would have been a good move.
However, Fiorentina seem to have thrown a spanner in the works for Celtic as the Serie A side have upped their efforts to land the youngster from Bologna. Indeed, it is reported that La Viola have intensified negotiations over a move, although they will have to offer at least €5m to stand a chance of signing the teenager.
Also read:
- Transfer News: Rangers star Glen Kamara wanted by Everton
- Hibernian interested in Hakeem Odoffin of Hamilton Academical
Bologna are in no hurry to sell Hickey and will wait for the highest bid as they look to maximise their profits. It is now up to Celtic to step up in their pursuit of the 19-year-old or risk missing out on him.
Transfer News: Rangers star Glen Kamara wanted by Everton
According to transfer news from Eurosport (h/t Glasgow Live), Premier League club Everton have entered the race to sign Glen Kamara from Scottish champions Rangers this summer.
Kamara started out his youth football in his homeland, Finland, before switching to England in 2011 when he signed for the Southend United academy. A year later, he was snapped up by Premier League giants Arsenal, where he rose through the youth ranks but couldn’t break into the first-team.
After loan spells away at Southend United and Colchester United, Kamara left Arsenal permanently in the summer of 2017, signing for Scottish club Dundee FC. The 25-year-old Finnish midfielder rose to prominence with the club and was picked up by Steven Gerrard’s Rangers in the winter transfer window of 2019.
During his two-and-a-half-year stay at the Ibrox Stadium, Kamara has developed into one of the best midfielders on show in the Scottish Premiership. The Finland star played an integral role in the Gers’ title victory last season as he racked up over 50 appearances in all competitions, scoring and assisting a couple of goals apiece. (h/t Transfermarkt)
However, Kamara’s time at the Ibrox Stadium could be drawing towards a close, with Everton joining a number of other clubs in pursuit of the ex-Arsenal youngster. Indeed, the likes of Watford and Brentford have already shown an interest in the 25-year-old while an unnamed Russian club is also keen, with the Toffees also joining the bandwagon. (h/t Glasgow Live)
Also read:
- Hibernian FC sign St Mirren midfielder Jake Doyle-Hayes
- Hibernian interested in Hakeem Odoffin of Hamilton Academical
Given how important Kamara has been for Rangers in his time at the club, his potential departure would come as a blow. However, with his contract expiring in two years and with so many teams interested, this also represents the Gers best chance of making good money from his sale, which they can reinvest in the squad.
With a transfer fee of £15m being mentioned, the Light Blues could stand to make a massive profit, having signed him for a measly £50k in 2019.
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