Watford boss Walter Mazzarri: David Moyes is good at his job '“ not just because he worked abroad

Mazzari brings his Watford side to the Stadium of Light today extolling the virtues of a competitive Premier League.

The experienced 55-year-old, who has managed Napoli and Inter Milan, took his first job in England this season and has led the Hornets to 11th place in the Premier League table ahead of Saturday’s trip to Sunderland, where he will pit his wits against Black Cats boss Moyes.

Mazzarri’s counterpart in the dugout today is unique in that of the seven British bosses currently in charge of Premier League sides, he is the only one to have managed overseas when he took the reins at Real Sociedad prior to his Sunderland stint.

The consensus that experienced garnered away from Britain would be beneficial to coaches from these shores is not one Mazzarri necessarily subscribes to, though.

“I believe that when a manager is competent, he can do his job well wherever he is,” he argued.

“For sure Moyes is good in his job, but the reason for this is not that he has also worked abroad, and the same applies to me.

“I believe the way football is, from the point of view of the manager, stays the same in whatever country he works. There are no huge differences.

“Being in the Premier League this year is a valuable experience in any case because there are so many top-level managers running all the teams, not just the big ones. What represents a novelty and a challenge for me is the fact of being here, rather than the ranking of the team.”