Watford FC: Tom Cleverley will be begging for one Vakoun Bayo improvement - View | OneFootball

The misfiring striker could cost the Hornets this season if his form in front of goal continues

After beginning the season as a first-team starter for Watford FC, Vakoun Bayo has found himself warming the bench for the Hornets of late.

With just one goal to his name so far this season, the Ivorian has struggled to put the ball in the back of the net, despite getting into plenty of decent chances throughout the campaign.

Tom Cleverley has since acted by giving Daniel Jebbison and Kwadwo Baah more game time, with the 27-year-old having to prove himself worthy of a recall with brief appearances off the bench.

With his profligacy in front of goal costing his side at times this season, Cleverley will be hoping his actions can see a more clinical Bayo come to the fore in the months to come, with the underlying numbers proving where the fault lies.

Vakoun Bayo’s lack of cutting edge is costing Watford

While Watford have made a flying start to the season with five wins from their nine league matches, there is still room for improvement for the Hornets, with Bayo’s finishing near the top of the list.

The striker has an xG rating of 3.1 for the current campaign but has scored just one goal - the opener in his side’s 2-1 victory over Derby County back in August.

His performance in the 2-1 victory over Sunderland last month saw him cut a frustrated figure up top, with six chances at goal resulting in just two shots on target, with both thwarted by Black Cats’ stopper Anthony Patterson.

With the likes of Jebbison and Baah waiting in the wings, Cleverley has bided his time and given his frontman patience, but a lack of cutting-edge up top has left him with no option but to opt for an alternative choice up top, in the hope of making their dominance in games count.

With the Hornets outperforming their xG by 1.0 goal so far this season, Bayo seems to be the overriding force in levelling out their potency in front of goal, which is something that can’t be afforded in the midst of a potential promotion charge this season.

Having netted just eleven goals in his 72 appearances for the club to date, the warning signs have always been there for the Watford man, and now the club has other options at their disposal, Bayo has proven to be the fall guy as performances improve without him on the pitch.

That isn’t to say he doesn’t have a role to play as the season progresses, but his time as a regular starter needs to be limited if the Hornets are to get the results they crave in the season ahead.

Where Vakoun Bayo ranks in Championship xG ratings

While he has been regularly failing to finish his dinner this season, Bayo is far from alone in struggling to capitalise on golden opportunities to get on the scoresheet for his side.

The forward’s deficit compared to what is expected is among the worst in the division so far this season, with the misfiring Elijah Adebayo [pictured] topping the charts with 3.4 expected goals, having yet to hit the back of the net for Luton Town on their return to the Championship.

Kieffer Moore, Emmanuel Latte Lath, and Finn Azaz also find themselves within the top five among Bayo, which proves he is doing something right to get into the right areas to score, but his finishing touch is missing more often than not.

Jebbison is the next-highest Watford player with a deficit of 0.7 goals this season, although he already has three assists to his name, and will likely sharpen his goalscoring instincts with more time in the starting eleven.

Having a striker capable of putting chances away could be the difference between being promotion contenders and also-rans for Watford this season, and if Bayo remains in the side for the long haul, it is the latter of the two that would remain the most likely.