Watford boss Walter Mazzarri is hoping to see Troy Deeney hit the goal trail after the Hornets skipper finally scored his 100th goal for the club on Boxing Day.
The 28-year-old waited 10 games to reach the landmark, scoring the equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace after being surprisingly named among the substitutes before his early introduction.
It was Deeney's first goal since he struck against Bournemouth on October 1 and saw him become just the fifth Watford player to reach treble-figures for the club.
Now Mazzarri, whose side host Tottenham on New Year's Day, wants the form to continue after the former Walsall forward got the weight off his shoulders.
"I hope he will be different, I congratulated him on his achievement," Mazzarri said.
"I think he will have the weight he has been carrying out of his head and that helps him a lot."
Deeney did not start against the Eagles with Mazzarri keen to rest his captain, but he was forced to introduce him from from the bench after just 14 minutes following an injury to Valon Behrami.
Behrami's issue was the latest in a long list of injuries for Watford, with Mazzarri admitting he may have to continue to rely on Deeney in the coming weeks.
Asked if he will have to play Deeney even though he wants to hand him a break, the Italian replied: "I will see because I need to understand what type of formation we are going to play up front, depending on that we will see what kind of striker he use.
"For sure we have got (Odion) Ighalo and Deeney who are okay, but Jerome Sinclair is also available. I need to know how to rotate them. The other is a young player who is starting to understand the Premier League.
"Also, with Nordin Amrabat, he is very tired but last year he used to play as a striker even though this year he has been playing in different positions, we could play him there."
Mazzarri could be without as many as nine first-team players for the visit of Spurs, and most of those will remain absent for the clash with Stoke just two days later.
Source: PA
