Shay Given gushes over Aston Villa ace Ollie Watkins post Bournemouth clash
Former Aston Villa goalkeeper Shay Given was full of praise for Ollie Watkins after his equaliser against Bournemouth on Sunday, 3 December.
Unai Emery’s side looked like they were losing the game, but the England international delivered a last-gasp header to make it 2-2.
This saw Given wax lyrical over him on Premier League Productions’ Weekend Wrap Up (03/12, 21:33).
He said, “He is a brilliant player. What a header that is!”
Watkins is undoubtedly brilliant and was not fully in it on Sunday, being a minor injury doubt before the game but managed to complete his only attempted cross with a 100 per cent accuracy rate, per Sofascore, and also looked threatening despite not having much luck in front of goal.
This season, under Emery, a different Watkins has graced the Premier League and Villa fans will be loving every minute of it.
According to fbref, he’s already matched his assists tally of six from last season and is continuing to not only be a goal threat but also create chances for his teammates.
He’s also averaging more goals per 90 minutes with 0.59 to 0.43 from last season.
The 27-year-old is making more progressive runs, progressive carries and receiving more progressive passes in comparison to the 2022/23 Premier League season.
This proves that Emery is keen on dominating games more and playing an attacking brand of football and that’s taking Watkins’ output to the next level.
He’s also averaging 0.5 shots more per game and his xG has also increased which is a combination of various factors which include him improving his positioning and the players around him finding better ways to get the ball to him.
Her shots per goal tally has also reduced while he’s taking his shots closer to the opposition goal – thus increasing his chances of finding the back of the net.
His shot-creating actions have also remarkably improved as he averaged 2.27 last season in comparison to 3.17 per 90 minutes this term.
Right now, Emery and Watkins seem like a match made in heaven and it’s guided Villa into the top four and has all but assured the striker of a spot in the EURO 2024 side.
In other Aston Villa news, a rising star has given Unai Emery some food for thought and his Aston Villa debut will surely be on the horizon in the coming weeks.