Adrian Mariappa wants Watford to use their win against Coventry City as a catalyst for improvement after a poor start to the season.

The Carabao Cup victory over the Sky Blues was the Hornets' first win of the new campaign after losing three Premier League games on the bounce.

However, the defender said he believes there is more than enough quality in the squad to turn it around and the head coach Javi Gracia is still the best man for the job.

"I have always believed in the team and the gaffer, and I believe that things will turn," he said.

"Sometimes the luck goes against you in games and in the Premier League there are fine margins.

"But you look at the performances of the last two games and we created a lot of chances and it just hasn’t fallen for us. Hopefully today is a good catalyst for us to go on and get a good result on the weekend.

"It is evident to see [what Gracia has done]. We had our highest league position this year with a highest number of points and we made a cup final. I think there is a very good squad here and our levels are always good.

"I think it is a credit to him that now there is a lot more expectation because of how well we have done. Like I said, that’s a credit to the gaffer and his management. Obviously the boys are buying into the gaffer. For us nothing changes. We are going to a tough place on Saturday but we will be going to try and get some points."

Looking back on last season's performance, Mariappa sees no reason why the Hornets cannot go on and achieve more this season despite their slow start.

The defender thinks it is simply of test of character that he expects him and his team-mates to overcome.

"There is no reason why we can’t," he said.

"No one wants to lose their first three games of the season but there are 38 games in a season. At the end of the day it is about us working hard and making sure the performance level is alright. "Sometimes you just need a little bit of the rub of the green and I don’t think we have had that the last few games. If we keep the performance levels up then I am sure it will turn.

"At the end of the day everyone would love to win the first four games, like we did last season. But it doesn’t happen like that all the time. For us now it is a test of character and mental toughness as well. I can see us coming through it and really pushing on as a squad.

"We take all the games seriously here as a squad. The gaffer obviously put a team out today with a lot of changes, but you can see from the professionalism and the attitude that no one took their foot off. We were hungry to get a win and it is a good foundation for us to build on ahead of Saturday."

When thinking about the rest of the season, Mariappa said that new signings Ismaila Sarr and Danny Welbeck will be key to the team improving and picking up points.

While he admitted he had not seen much of Sarr, the 32-year-old was very impressed by what he saw from the Senegalese winger's debut.

"I haven’t really seen much of him in training too much," he said.

"Obviously he hasn’t been here too long. But from the game today you saw that he got kicked a couple of times at the beginning - it was a bit of a welcome to England - but he got up and dusted himself down.

"I think we saw from his performance that he did really well. He is lighting quick, he showed that and really used it. For his goal, he took it brilliant. I am delighted for him as it is a great start and hopefully he can kick on."

Mariappa also spoke about the impact Welbeck can have this season and said that the striker is already helping others at the club learn and develop.

"With the experience and the quality that he has I don’t think I need to start reeling off stats about him," he said.

"But he is also a good lad around the place. A lot of the boys can learn from him as well and I think he is going to be a massive player for us."