Southampton managed to avoid an EFL Cup upset on the road at Colchester United on Saturday afternoon.
Unusually, the EFL Cup opened the season, instead of being a mid-week affair, and the Saints just about got over the line in the end to a 2-0 win in Essex, due to late goals from Cyle Larin and Romeo Akachukwu.
Tonda Eckert must have thanked his lucky stars at the end of the contest against Danny Cowley's determined hosts that he had such a wealth of options to rely upon from the bench, as Ben Brereton Diaz offered virtually nothing up top for the Saints as a surprise starting XI inclusion.
Eckert must look to drop Brereton Diaz
Brereton Diaz would have been handed some minutes on Saturday afternoon to see if he can make an impact in the Championship this season, with Eckert not ruling out the Chilean staying put on the South Coast beyond the transfer window.
Based on his poor showing against the U's, he will quickly be placed back among the reserves at St. Mary's for the trip to Vicarage Road, with the aforementioned Larin comfortably taking his rare starting spot immediately off of him, after he scored Southampton's opener at Colchester.
The 6-foot-1 marksman just faded in and out of the contest far too much, leading to him only amassing 18 touches of the ball from his instantly forgettable 62 minute spell.
To add some damning context, Finn Azaz was on the pitch for merely 15 minutes, and tallied up 13 touches.
To further pile on the misery for the ex-Blackburn Rovers striker even more, the lively Akachukwu managed to score Southampton's vital second strike of the day, from only three touches.
Safe to say, it's an easy alteration for Eckert to make for the showdown with the Hornets on Saturday, as Larin - as long as he's fit enough - likely replaces the hit-and-miss number 22.
There is also Cameron Archer for the German to consider, if the Canadian hotshot isn't ready to immediately start.
It's not just Brereton Diaz who will be fearful about his starting spot for the contest with Watford, however, as this other inconsistent forward could be axed.
It's not just Brereton Diaz he could drop
A reshuffle might well occur for the Championship opener against Alessio Dionisi's hosts.
Indeed, Cameron Bragg will fancy his chances of a start on the opening day, after a stylish cameo in Essex, with the Scotsman perhaps partnering Flynn Downes as one of two holding midfielders.
This means Kuryu Matsuki doesn't have to play deep for the clash at Vicarage Road, meaning he could be pushed up the pitch to a more well-suited right wing spot, with four goals coming his way from this area of the pitch last season, when utilised heavily as an impact substitute.
All this tinkering might result in Tom Fellows being dropped, who was, unfortunately, hot and cold again in Saints red and white on Saturday.
He did amass three key passes and three accurate crosses, with Brereton Diaz often guilty of not latching onto his deliveries, but there just wasn't enough in the ex-West Bromwich Albion winger's performance to suggest he should start against the Hornets.
He could only muster up one shot, and he would only win one duel, with Matsuki perhaps getting the nod over the unpredictable number 18, if you had to predict other changes.
At the end of the day, though, it's up to Eckert to make these decisions, but do not be surprised if both Brereton Diaz, and his Solihull-born teammate, are dropped.
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