Collymore wrong to defend Ollie Watkins after what Aston Villa star did v Ipswich
Stan Collymore has rushed to the defence of Ollie Watkins after Aston Villa were held to a 1-1 draw at home to 10-men Ipswich Town.
Aston Villa had to settle for a point against Ipswich in controversial circumstances, but they will certainly have come away from the game with plenty of frustration.
Despite Ipswich being reduced to 10 men when Axel Tuanzebe was given his marching orders in the 40th minute, Unai Emery’s side failed to take advantage of it and if Champions League qualification is to come again, games like that need to be won.
Aston Villa fans were heard booing at the end of the game as a result of the dropped points, which could have been so much different had they taken their chances, with Watkins one of those guilty.
Ollie Watkins deserves criticism after Ipswich miss, Collymore wrong to defend him
Despite scoring Villa’s only goal of the game, Watkins was not at his best, having missed a huge opportunity in the first half after a remarkable pass from Axel Disasi.
Collymore took to X after the game to defend the striker, saying: “All forwards miss chances. Ollie misses chances. His output for our club has been fantastic.”
Simply put, Watkins deserves criticism after his performance, in which he recorded just 23 touches, the least of anyone on the pitch [FotMob].
Watkins managed just one shot on target in the game, with a 50 per cent accuracy. His other effort went harmlessly wide of the goal.
79 per cent of his 14 attempted passes reached their desired destination with just 50 per cent of his aerial duels resulting in Villa maintaining possession.
Watkins simply has to start taking more chances in games such as the one against Ipswich, if Aston Villa are to finish inside the top four.
Villa cant let big chances go begging
While Watkins is the suspect on this occasion, throughout the season various players have fumbled big opportunities in games and in the long run, it will prove costly.
As things stand, Emery’s side still has a shot at Champions League qualification, but that will only happen if these frailties are ironed out sooner rather than later.
With an encounter with Liverpool approaching, chances will be few and far between for Villa, and a failure to take them when they arrive will almost certainly see the game end in defeat.