Walter Mazzarri urges Watford to take it game by game
Thursday 2 March 2017 22:13, UK
Walter Mazzarri has warned his Watford side that there is still work to be done to secure their Premier League status.
Mazzarri's side head into Saturday's home clash with Southampton 12th in the Premier League and nine points above the relegation zone.
However, the Italian is refusing to take any comfort in Watford's mid-table position.
"To be safe, I think the points needed will be very similar to last year. I am trying to make the players understand we don't have to look at the team but the performances game by game," said Mazzarri.
"At the end of the season, we will see where we are but this year we create the base in order to improve the team and make things much better in the following season."
Mazzarri also spoke about Mauro Zarate, who ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament and damaged the medial collateral ligament in his right knee in the recent draw with West Ham.
The Argentinian winger, a January signing from Fiorentina, came off towards the end of the first half of the match against his former club having twisted his knee awkwardly and collapsed to the ground.
"I speak with him almost daily," added Mazzarri. "We are all very disappointed and very sorry. It's his first big injury in his whole career.
"He was playing very well but with a foul from behind, it made his day black. Of course, he is a very important player but he was having his best moment and we will miss him.
"We will wait for him and we are sure he will come back stronger than before. I wanted to take him off as he was injured in the 20th minute and I kept asking how he was.
"I did ask him many times but for some reason, maybe because of his pride, he wanted to keep playing and decided to stay. Eventually the knee dropped completely later."
Defender Daryl Janmaat and goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon will have their fitness checked ahead of potential involvement in the Southampton game.
Janmaat (groin) was another forced off last weekend, while Pantilimon (ankle) has been sidelined since the end of January.
Nordin Amrabat (ankle), Christian Kabasele (hip) and Ben Watson (groin) remain unavailable.
