Watford were as bad in Monday's 2-0 loss to Burnley as they were excellent in their last outing against Manchester United.
The Clarets deserve credit for never allowing Watford to settle, but this was a performance the manager, players and supporters will want to forget as quickly as possible. Dire.
Positives
No one got injured or sent off. That's about as good as it got for the Hornets. Isaac Success once again looked threatening once he came on and many will be hoping to see him start the next game, at home to Bournemouth.
Negatives
The defending for both goals was chronic, with Jose Holebas and then Miguel Britos making an unfathomable mess of straightforward balls into the box.
Watford have now conceded seven goals direct from crosses, the most in the Premier League by some distance.
Manager rating out of 10
6 -- Tried to change things at half-time by introducing Juan Camilo Zuniga, but the Colombian couldn't reproduce his Manchester United heroics and after a brighter looking start to the second period, Watford conceded a second and the game was done.
Walter Mazzarri was unable to rally his troops at any stage and was convincingly outdone by his opposite number; ex-Watford manager Sean Dyche.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Heurelho Gomes, 6 -- The Brazilian couldn't do anything about either goal and dealt with anything that came his way with the minimum of fuss. One of the few in the lineup to emerge with any semblance of credit.
DF Miguel Britos, 4 -- A poor performance from start to finish. Ponderous and unsure, Britos was robbed of possession too many times and was wasteful on the few occasions he did have the ball under control. He was beaten all ends up for the second goal, which was the final nail in Watford's coffin after just 50 minutes. A far cry from his impressive early season performances.
DF Craig Cathcart, 5 -- Cathcart has shown signs of a lack of confidence, and looked rushed when on the ball. He was replaced at half-time and will probably have been grateful to watch the remainder of the game from the bench.
DF Sebastian Prodl, 6 -- The best of a bad bunch at the back. Prodl uses his height to great effect, winning most of his aerial duels. He isn't afraid of a straightforward clearance when required and in an area with plenty of competition, will be assured of a starting berth against Bournemouth.
MF Jose Holebas, 4 -- Hamstrung by an early booking, Holebas looked unhappy throughout. The Hornets were unable to release him down the left hand side and this clearly left him frustrated. The Greece international as embarrassed for the first goal -- his feeble challenge isn't one he'll want to see again anytime soon.
MF Nordin Amrabat, 4 -- Struggled as a replacement for the injured Daryl Janmaat. Was exposed defensively on a number of occasions, and wasn't able to offer anything of note going forward.
MF Valon Behrami, 3 -- After an excellent start to the season, Behrami had a shocker at Turf Moor. His tackling was lethargic and his ball playing erratic. Like so many of his teammates, the Swiss international simply wasn't at the races.
MF Roberto Pereyra, 4 -- His main first half contribution was talking himself into a booking and was later lucky not to be sent off. Unable to exert any influence on a game that Burnley controlled throughout and was withdrawn before he could receive an increasingly likely red card.
MF Etienne Capoue, 5 -- One of the more industrious Watford players, but wasn't anywhere near as effective as he's been in previous games. With Behrami and Pereyra having off nights, it was too much to ask for Capoue to have any influence on a game that passed Watford by.
FW Odion Ighalo, 3 -- Struggled badly throughout. Starved of service he was forced to come deeper in search of the ball, and when it did arrive he was unable to make it stick. Increasingly anonymous as the game wore on, this was not Ighalo's finest night.
FW Troy Deeney, 4 -- Like so many of his counterparts, the Watford captain looked out of sorts throughout. He had what was Watford's best chance in the second half and was denied by a decent save, but a timid header when well placed probably summed up both his and Watford's performance.
Substitutes
MF Juan Camilo Zuniga, 5 -- A half-time replacement for Craig Cathcart, Zuniga was unable to turn the tide and Watford were two behind just a few minutes after his introduction. Mazzarri's move to bring the Colombian on at least represented an attempt to improve things, but Zuniga was unable to dig his manager and teammates out of a hole.
FW Isaac Success, 7 -- Direct and strong, Success provided a couple of all to rare moments of excitement for the Watford faithful. An undeniable talent, there will be calls for the 20-year-old Nigerian to start the next game.
MF Kenedy, NR -- Looked neat and tidy in a fifteen minute cameo. The Chelsea loanee was brought on to replace Pereyra and showed enough to suggest he will be a valuable capture for Watford this season.