Aston Villa: Ollie Watkins batters Forest, Tony Cascarino frightened by how good he is
Ollie Watkins netted his 14th Premier League goal of the season as Aston Villa overcame Nottingham Forest 4-2 on Saturday (24 February).
The England forward is just one goal behind his best-ever scoring season in the top tier of English football, having registered 15 goals during the 2022/23 campaign.
Not only did he boast a 67 per cent shot accuracy against Forest, he also maintained a 91 per cent pass completion at Villa Park, helping Unai Emery’s side to a 16th league victory. [FotMob]
Only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah have made the net bulge on more occasions than Watkins so far, prompting award-winning claims about his displays.
Could Ollie Watkins be named as PFA Player of the Year for Aston Villa displays?
Speaking about PFA Player of the Year nominees, Tony Cascarino stated live via talkSPORT on Sunday (25 February, 8:55am): “I’d put Ollie Watkins up there – I think he’s been that good for Villa.
“Why are they fourth? Obviously, the new manager has come in and he has given them a new way of playing, with a very high line which has been dangerous.
“McGinn and others have played their part, Bailey, Diaby, etc. But the one outstanding feature has been Ollie Watkins. He has been frighteningly good and his numbers have been great. That is the reason that Villa are fourth.”
The 28-year-old has been one of Villa’s most consistent players this season, leading Emery’s line in all 26 of the club’s league matches.
He also has the joint-highest number of Premier League assists this season, tied on 10 with Kieran Trippier and Pascal Gross. Incredibly, he only has an xA of 3.47, suggesting that he is overperforming by quite some margin, as per FotMob.
Compared to other strikers in the division, the stats speak for themselves. Watkins is in the top 83 percentile for non-penalty goals, as well as the top 93 percentile for assists. [FBref]
And although the forward is not well known for his defensive capabilities, he has won 75 per cent of his tackles this season, as well as making 17 clearances. [FotMob]
This could have certainly been improved on against Forest, having only won 57 per cent of his ground duels, as per FotMob, but it is always a good sign to see a striker so involved during a match.
His 27 touches suggest that, unlike some strikers in the division, Watkins worked hard to drop back and win challenges in the middle of the park. That combined with one big chance missed, he should have been able to show more for his all-round performance.
Emerging in the top 77 percentile for touches in the penalty area, as per FBref, shows how devastating Watkins is when he receives the ball, punishing the opposition whenever they allow him near their goal.
Cascarino could very much be correct that Watkins should be in contention for the PFA Player of the Year award, especially if Villa can finish in the top four Premier League spots.
However, it is certainly a tricky job with the likes of Haaland and Salah above him in the Golden Boot race and special stars such as Rodri, Bukayo Saka, and Heung-Min Son.
In other Aston Villa news, one Villa man had a 25% flop in the recent defeat to Manchester United, and Gary Neville dubbed him “wasteful” live on Sky Sports.
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