Whether that was a remark fueled by the adrenaline of the night or not, the interim head coach must now back it up by attempting to knock another side out of the top six after coming so close against Ipswich, West Brom, and Leeds.
The big question is: How does Watford do it?
“We’ll have to be very good out of possession and very disciplined,” Cleverley said.
“Southampton are the finest possession team in the league, and they are also excellent at pressuring.
“You must be as efficient as possible in whatever you do against them while maintaining the highest level of concentration.
“But they give you a chance, and we go there with a clear strategy to win.
“We’re not heading off with a view of not losing, we’re going there to win the game and we have real belief.”
Watford has had one fewer day to prepare for tomorrow’s game than the Saints, who played on Tuesday night.
“The quick turnaround is difficult, but as I’ve said before we find solutions rather than excuses,” Cleverley added.
“We’ve had a day less rest than Southampton but we have depth in our squad that might have to be utilised tomorrow.”
This will be the fourth meeting between the teams this season, and Watford has not won any of the previous three.
“I’ve not thought about it that way to be honest, I’m just focussed on winning the next game,” he said.
“We watched footage from past games, but I didn’t focus on the results.
“We don’t go into tomorrow’s game with any more or less motivation from the previous games this season.”
In terms of team news, it’s the same group that flew to Suffolk, with Cleverley admitting it will be his most difficult team selection since taking the job.
Ken Sema and Jeremy Ngakia are getting closer and closer, which is excellent news for everyone, and the aim is to have them in contention for next week,” he stated.
“Apart from that, there are no fresh issues inside the squad.
“I believe tomorrow will be the most difficult team decision I’ve had to make thus far due to the competitiveness for spots, but that is a fantastic problem to have.
“We’ve got one more training session today to finalise our plan and then I’ve got to settle on a first XI for tomorrow.”
With a depleted roster and three games in a week, as well as his familiarity with many of the club’s younger players, is Cleverley tempted to give youngsters a chance?
“I will not be giving Any charity debuts or selects players for the sake of it,” he remarked.
“I believe that if someone plays on my squad, it’s because they deserve to.
“We’ve had people come close.” Jack Grieves probably deserves more minutes than he is receiving because he has performed admirably during training sessions.
“I also had Zavier Massiah-Edwards on the bench, but as I have stated, I will not be handing out game time for charity.
“First-team places have to be earned and deserved, but if the lads are good enough then they’re old enough.”
