Troy Deeney believes Watford need to find a different way of playing when teams set up to stop him and fellow striker Odion Ighalo.
Their partnership has brought 19 goals in 21 matches this season but opposition teams have targeted them for special attention in recent weeks.
Southampton changed to a three‑man defence last Wednesday and kept the strikers quiet as Watford lost 2-0.
The Hornets managed only one shot on target at St Mary’s in what boss Quique Sanchez Flores described as their worst performance of the season.
Tottenham also played three central defenders at Vicarage Road last month and, while Ighalo scored that day in a 2-1 home defeat, it is a challenge Watford can expect to face more often this season.
Watford play at Swansea tonight and home manager Alan Curtis has highlighted the need for his side to “work tactically to stop the threat of Deeney and Ighalo”.
Deeney knows teams are paying Watford more respect and admits they have to find another way of scoring goals as they look to arrest a run of three straight defeats.
He said: “A couple of times now teams have changed to three at the back with two holding midfielders to try and stop us. So we have to come up with different ways to score.”
Almen Abdi, Nathan Ake, Ben Watson and Miguel Layun, who is on loan at Porto, are the only other Watford players to score this season. They have all found the net once.
Deeney said: “I believe there are goals all over this team but we have got to show it.”
Watford have dropped into the bottom half of the table following the weekend’s results but a win at the Liberty Stadium will see them move up to eighth.
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Flores admits his side have suffered from tiredness in recent matches but he expects a response after their defeat against Southampton.
“We are not worried about the results,” said the head coach. “We have come from a very tough December and are in the middle of a very tough January.”
