Man United faithful will have keen eye on Plymouth Argyle, Watford FC developments
Championship action returns this Friday night when Watford visits Home Park to play Plymouth Argyle, following the conclusion of the international break.
When Wayne Rooney invites Tom Cleverley to the southwest, two former Manchester United teammates will square off in the Devon match. Both players are eager to make an impression now that they are in the dugout.
Cleverley has had success in his early days at Vicarage Road, with the Hornets contending for the Championship title since he was appointed to the position permanently earlier this year, whereas Rooney has had a somewhat turbulent start to life in the hot seat.
Friday’s match could be high-scoring because both players play a style of football that creates opportunities at both ends of the pitch. Many Red Devils will probably be eager to watch how their former players are doing now that they have left the game.
Wayne Rooney’s start to life as Plymouth Argyle boss
Rooney has had a baptism of fire at Home Park since taking over in the summer, as the Pilgrims have had several ups and downs in the few months since he took over.
The Greens have begun to base a lot of their hopes on their performance in front of their home supporters after losing to Sheffield Wednesday 4-0 on the first day of play. In their seven Devon games this season, they have only lost once at Home Park.
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When the midseason transfer window opens, the Greens must stay away from anything similar to this bunch.
With only two points from eight away games thus far, it has been a very different tale on the road. Because of this discrepancy between their home and away performances, every game at the Theatre of Greens is even more crucial.
However, as they currently lead the division in xGA, with 1.43 xGA per 90 at Home Park, Argyle are no strangers to giving up chances to the opposition wherever they have been playing this season. This shows how readily teams can produce a chance at goal against them.
When you combine that with the reality that just six clubs can surpass their 1.52 xG at home this season, there’s a good possibility that goals will be scored on Friday night. The matchup from the previous season ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw on New Year’s Day.
That day’s goals were of the highest calibre, with Ismael Kone scoring a brilliant goal of his own at the other end between goals from Ryan Andrews and Edo Kayembe, and Finn Azaz, Morgan Whittaker, and Ryan Hardie all scoring for the Greens at a sodden Home Park.
Despite Cleverley’s impressive start to life in the Watford hot seat, Rooney will be confident in his chances of gaining more points in front of the TV cameras this weekend, given their opponents have only won two away games from Hertfordshire this season.
| Championship xGA per 90 24/25 Championship season (Footystats) | |
|---|---|
| Team | xGA per 90 |
| Plymouth Argyle | 1.71 |
| Stoke City | 1.57 |
| Portsmouth | 1.54 |
| Watford | 1.52 |
| Oxford United | 1.48 |
Although the former England striker is still far from being a perfect manager at this stage of his career, he is learning and growing every week, and the Argyle manager will have more quality at his disposal than he did prior to the international break because players like Lewis Gibson and Brendan Galloway may be returning from injury.
Tom Cleverley continues to defy the odds at Watford FC
There were many who were eager to dismiss Watford at the beginning of the season because they had only five league victories in 2025 and an unproven player in Cleverley in the dugout.
Their current manager, however, is someone who is well-versed in the club’s history. He joined the team on loan from Everton in 2017 and went on to play for the club more than 140 times across all competitions, in addition to his initial loan from Old Trafford when he was just 20 years old.
The Red Devils’ players must have a deep-rooted tendency to succeed when they attempt to play an attacking style of
As seen by a 3-0 loss to Luton Town and a 6-2 victory against Sheffield Wednesday, Cleverley, like Rooney, has evolved to a style of play that can win or lose depending on the situation.
Since the Hornets, like Argyle, have a tendency to give up too many opportunities in their games this season, and because of their 1.52 xGA metric, which places them in the top five in the division, they are forced to employ Daniel Bachmann in goal more frequently than they would like.
Those who are neutral may find it thrilling to watch, while those who support either side may find it nerve-racking, throbbing, and irritating. The unpredictability of both sides is expected to create a wide range of possibilities for Friday’s event.
Few would have predicted that he and Rooney would be in their current roles 13 years after he made his first Premier League start for Manchester United in 2011. Both players are making their first hesitant steps towards life calling the shots on the side of the pitch.
Although not all players possess the skills necessary to take charge and give orders from the sidelines, and there is no clear correlation between playing prowess and managerial success, the pair’s commitment to the cause is undeniable at this time, as they are both still learning the ropes on the pitch in one of the most competitive leagues.
The two have been wearing Manchester United shirts on the same field for little over a decade. Cleverley’s final game for the team was a 1-1 draw with Sunderland at the Stadium of Light in August 2014, and he left Old Trafford the following summer.
Although there will be a lot of respect between the two at Home Park this weekend, the winning mentality that was ingrained in them at Old Trafford will still be present, with both of them wanting to do everything in their power to come away with three points. Ten years later, their playing careers are only a glimmer in the rearview mirror as the next phase of their respective journeys begins.
