Unai Emery has Ollie Watkins concern at Aston Villa as awful stat emerges
Unai Emery may have to consider dropping Ollie Watkins from his Aston Villa starting XI after his recent below-par form in front of goal.
The Villans have once again got off to a flying start across all competitions and have even beaten Bayern Munich in the Champions League.
While the vast majority of Emery’s team have performed to a high standard, there are the odd one or two who haven’t fully lived up to expectations.
One of those players is Watkins. The attacker may have bagged five Premier League goals this term but the fact he’s only scored one in his last four top-flight games shows the poor form he’s been in recently.
Another indicator of his below-par form is that he tops the Premier League’s charts for most ‘big chances missed’ with 12 to his name (Fotmob).
Unai Emery has to drop Ollie Watkins from his Aston Villa starting XI
Erling Haaland (8) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (7) are not too far behind him in second and third place but while Emery has someone such as Jhon Duran on the bench who’d likely make more use of the chances, it seems a bit silly for the Spaniard to continue starting the Englishman each week.
The Colombia international is second in Villa’s top scorers chart for the Premier League with four goals to his name and, when he’s been brought on, Duran has more often than not made an instant impact (Fotmob).
In the top flight this season, Duran has averaged 1.42 goals per 90 minutes compared to Watkins who’s only averaged 0.58.
While his xG sits at 2.4, a total less than that of the former Brentford striker whose xG is 4.9, this is likely due to the sheer amount of chances and games that Watkins has had compared to the 20-year-old.
Duran has also averaged 2.1 shots on target per 90 compared to Watkins who’s only amassed an average of 1.5, while his shot conversion sits at 22 per cent (Sofascore).
Watkins may not be known for his on-the-ball movement due to his preferred style of play but it still feels like the attacker should be completing more than just eight per cent of dribbles in the top flight (Sofascore).
Being a forward in modern football is about a lot more than just scoring goals now as each player has to put in extra work across the pitch.
The form of Morgan Rogers combined with the Colombian’s clinical nature could form a dynamic partnership for the Villans and see them aim even higher than fourth place by the end of the season.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery’s stance over signing a South American forward has emerged in a new transfer update.
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