Aston Villa get Ollie Watkins benefit in Conference League after Hibernian win
Ollie Watkins became the first Aston Villa player to score a hat trick in Europe since Stan Collymore in the 1998/99 campaign on Wednesday night (23 August).
The Villa frontman found the net three times against Hibernian as the Villans cruised past their Scottish opposition, almost wrapping up the tie within the first leg and in doing so demonstrated why this competition can help them this year.
Before the game against Hibs, some were questioning the England international’s recent form having only scored once in his last nine Premier League games, a slight downturn in form after his heroics at Villa Park for a majority of last season.
But after 90 minutes of Conference League football, any doubts over Watkins’ pedigree will have been quickly quashed as he became the fourth name on the list of players to score three times for Villa in Europe.
Some teams view both the Europa League and the Conference League as unwelcome distractions from the domestic calendar, but for Aston Villa this season, European football may allow them to have an opportunity to play their players into form.
Last season Watkins was Villa’s top scorer in the Premier League with 15 goals and no one else managed to find the net more than six times. If other players can generate form in Europe it may allow Villa to score more goals from all over the pitch.
When West Ham won the Conference League last campaign, several players who struggled in the Premier League managed to discover form on the continent. Gianluca Scamacca found the net three times in six European appearances, the same he managed in 16 Premier League matches. Michail Antonio scored six Conference League goals in nine games while he only got on the scoresheet five times in 33 league games.
The Hammers played 13 matches in Europe last season and Villa have already played one extra game thanks to their play-off first leg meaning if they reach the final of the tournament they will have 15 opportunities to blood in younger talent.
As demonstrated by the win over Hibs, Emery’s side is much better than the opposition they are facing at the current stage of the tournament, with Villa dominating possession with 70% of the ball away from home while only allowing Hibernian one shot on target.
In addition, new signings such as Nicolas Zaniolo, Your Tielemans Pau Torres, or others between now and the end of the transfer window will have a stepping stone to help them adjust to Emery’s coaching style and tactics rather than just being thrown in the deep end of the Premier League.
For forward players like Watkins, there is no greater confidence boost than scoring goals, his hat trick in Scotland will have him feeling 10 feet tall when he lines up against Burnley on Sunday (27 August) and the same will be true of Lucas Digne who impressed at Easter Road.
Benefits the youth
Emery will also have the opportunity to blood young players who may not be able to compete in the Premier League currently but will gain vital experience from playing in the closing stages of European matches against competitive opposition.
Although Jhon Duran impressed against Everton with a goal, he would have likely learnt just as much in the 20 minutes he played in Edinburgh when he and Bertrand Traore replaced Watkins and Leon Bailey.
On top of all the other benefits, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a Villa fan who isn’t excited by the prospect of winning European silverware for the first time since they won the Champions League in 1982. The prospect of reigning over Europe again for the first time in 42 years is incredibly exciting.
In other Aston Villa news, an investigation is underway after Leon Bailey allegedly confronted a fan