Gianfranco Zola accepted Watford need to improve defensively after their 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest today but stated sides can’t be perfect going forward and at the back.

The game at Vicarage Road ended 1-1 but Watford had 19 shots and Forest had 18 efforts.

Zola said: “It was one of those games that I’m sure the crowd and those watching the TV enjoyed but certainly not the managers. It was certainly too open.

“Many of the chances were due to the conditioning not being perfect for this stage of the season and that is why we are making mistakes.

“Any way, it was great for me because it gave me a lot of coaching points and a lot of indications about how we can improve the team.”

“We know we have to defend better than we are at the moment,” Zola added.

“I also know if we want to be an offensive team then you can’t be perfect defensively so it is a case of trying to find that compromise that will make the team stronger.

“Having said that, we are going to work hard to improve the way we defend, especially in transition because that is where we are most vulnerable and try to get better going forward. That will improve when the conditioning gets better.”

Watford struggled to create clear-cut chances in the first half and Zola believes only two of his players posed the visitors a threat in the opening 45 minutes.

The Hornets head coach said: “In the first half, Diego Fabbrini and Ikechi Anya were the only ones causing the opposition problems.

“That was one of the areas that didn’t please me because if we want to be more effective playing at home then we need more players posing a threat to the opposition otherwise it is too easy for them.

“Second half was much better but I still expect more than that.”

After last week’s Reading match, Zola said he was disappointed with the impact of his wide players in the first half at the Madejski Stadium.

He said: “Today we were better on Ikechi’s side and I’m expecting more on the other side; not just from Daniel Pudil but also Lewis McGugan has to help a little bit more and be more effective on that side.”

Forest conceded 20 fouls and received five yellow cards during today’s match and Zola was asked if his team needed more protection from referee Oliver Langford.

He replied: “I thought he (Langford) was late to book Cohen. There was a foul where he could have been booked before.

“Of course as the manager of Watford, it might look like I am going towards my side, but I felt like because of the type of football we try to play that there are a lot of tackles and challenges and the referee has to be careful and be present to make sure it doesn’t happen.”

You can read our report from today's match here.