Ollie Watkins makes England statement after what Aston Villa star did against Greece
Aston Villa talisman Ollie Watkins justified his selection ahead of Harry Kane with the opening goal in England’s 3-0 win over Greece.
Watkins popped up in the six-yard box to steer Noni Madueke’s cross home in the opening minutes on 14 November, putting to bed any doubt that the Villa striker could lead the line in Kane’s place.
Putting England in front so early on set the platform for a largely solid display by the Three Lions, who added twice more to the scoreline late on after Watkins was withdrawn for Harry Kane on 66 minutes.
Ollie Watkins rubber-stamps England number nine credentials
Having shown his ability to play a more creative role for his country in the last international break, this time it was Watkins’ turn to be the goal-poacher in the box, scoring with his only attempt on target.
That seventh-minute opener may have proved to be the only effort Watkins had in the entire match, but the 28-year-old converted a 0.52 xG chance for a much-changed England starting XI [FotMob].
From just 17 touches – as is often the case when playing up top against a tightly-packed defence – Watkins had three in the box, achieving a 100 per cent success rate for both shooting and dribbling.
Completing six of his seven passes (86 per cent – SofaScore), Watkins’ playmaking skills were more limited in Athens with just 0.01 expected assists, but he also won 50 per cent of his ground duels before his substitution.
Getting Lee Carsley’s penultimate game in charge off to the perfect start, Watkins will hope he can continue his form if he gets another chance to start against the Republic of Ireland on 17 November.
In other Aston Villa news, Don Goodman reckons the club will come down hard on one of Watkins’ team-mates after what he did.
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