Thick mist clings to the tall pines that surround Quique Sanchez Flores’s home to the west of Madrid. His mind is clear though as he prepares to recount what happened at Watford in his second spell as manager of the club.



“In the morning, Gino [Pozzo, the Watford owner] came to my office. He’d come to talk with me after every single match,” he tells The Athletic. “But this morning when he came he said, ‘Quique, I’m so sorry. The situation is difficult, I need to change. I wanted you to stay, you are always welcome to Watford, we love you and the way you are and everything, but the fact is… results.’”



Watford had lost 2-1 away to Southampton the previous evening. On December 1, Sanchez Flores’ return was over after just 85 days.



“I said, ‘That’s OK, that’s fine.’ It’s the risk we were playing with since the day I took the team,” he says. “I went...