‘No way disrespectful to Tottenham’ – Rose opens up on difference at Watford

Danny Rose has admitted there is a lot more focus on defensive discipline at Watford under Claudio Ranieri than he was used to at Tottenham.

Rose and Moussa Sissoko both swapped Spurs for Watford during the summer transfer window but both players have had contrasting fortunes since the move.

While Sissoko has settled in well at Vicarage Road and even been handed the captain’s armband, the England international has found things a little more challenging.

The 31-year-old will be hoping to win over Ranieri over the coming weeks and months and he spoke in glowing terms about what the Italian demands from his players in training.

The left-back told Watford’s official matchday programme (as relayed by Hertfordshire Mercury) “He (Ranieri) demands a lot of hard work. If you do that for him that’s half the battle.

“This is in no way disrespectful to Tottenham, but there’s this idea about ‘the Tottenham Way’ which is all-out attack whereas here, what we need is more discipline.”

Rose has been overlooked by Ranieri over the past couple of weeks, with the 70-year-old preferring to start with Adam Masina at left-back instead.

However, the former Tottenham man insisted that he welcomed the competition for places and spoke in glowing terms about Masina.

Rose said: “I think it’s always healthy to have two good players in each position. All the lads have been great with me since I came in, very friendly, but Adam has been one of the most welcoming.

“Whenever I do something right, Adam’s the first person in training to give me a compliment.”

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Perhaps the extra focus on defensive discipline, as opposed to the more adventurous style he is used to at Spurs, is why Rose is taking a little time to adapt at Watford. At 31, I still believe Rose is good enough to perform consistently in the Premier League once he builds up his confidence with a few consecutive starts under his belt.

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