Ollie Watkins

[LeeB]

[eamonn]

It feels a bit sad that 15 is enough to nake the list. Hopefully that's going to change soon.

It is a bit embarassing, alright. But also speaks to how frequently players change clubs nowadays as much as how successful you are. Although they are inter-related - you're more likely to stay longer at a top team as there's only a handful of clubs where you may win and earn more.

[ez]

Goals to games played would be interesting.  Gabby would be a lot lower.

[olaftab]

If Ollie was playing in Eredivisie/Liga etc  Manu or Lpool will be spending £90M+ to sign  him.

[SaddVillan]

From The Athletic

How Unai Emery has made Ollie Watkins into an Aston Vills record breaker.

It was early into Unai Emery’s time at Aston Villa when the Spaniard told Ollie Watkins exactly what he had planned. The future will be bright for Watkins, Emery said, if he listened carefully to specific instructions.

He warned the rewards might not be instant, but they would come. Watkins scored in his second game under Emery against Manchester United in a move specifically highlighted in training.

Fast forward five months and the transformation is clear to see. Watkins, who scored two goals in 14 games before Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in November, now has nine goals in the 16 games that have followed with Villa picking up more points than 17 other sides in the Premier League during that period.

In his time of need — when the shots were off target — the manager came to his rescue and mapped out a plan that has made him one of the hottest strikers in the division.

At times, the instructions have felt tedious and the video sessions long. Emery likes to debrief games in full with his team and highlight strengths and weaknesses in their performances. If time allows, he then does follow-up work with individuals. Watkins, 27, has been given a variety of tips including where to stand, when to run and even how to shape his body when receiving the ball.

But for the second weekend this season, Watkins sent records at Villa tumbling.

In February, he became their first player to score in five consecutive games in the Premier League and on Saturday in the 2-0 win away to Chelsea, he followed suit by scoring in his fifth away game in a row. The last player to get close was Dwight Yorke and he only managed four.

“It feels nice but I don’t want to stop here,” Watkins told The Athletic as he received a pat on the back from team-mate Leon Bailey.

“I want to score every week. I want to get to 20 goals and then more. I know I can be more clinical.”

There is confidence in his play now, highlighted in the victory that has got Villa dreaming of Europe. Watkins had screwed a chance wide but bounced back to open the scoring soon after.

Emery had told him the plan to work on ways of exposing Chelsea’s back five.

“I was trying to time my runs so that I stayed central on (Kalidou) Koulibaly,” he said. “We worked on it in the week and I was just waiting for that moment. When the ball came through and I saw Kepa (Arrizabalaga) off his line, I knew exactly what to do.”

Watkins has stepped up his game to such a level that he is entering into the conversation along some of Villa’s Premier League greats.

There are plenty to contend with: Yorke and Christian Benteke who still have the edge, then John Carew, Dion Dublin and Gabby Agbonlahor, the latter who holds the record for the most amount of Premier league goals scored by any Villa player (74). Watkins has 35, joint-ninth with Darius Vassell.

His team-mates are enjoying his success and making sure they do everything to assist.

Emi Buendia spoke up before the game to alert Watkins of his record-breaking opportunity and offer motivating words of encouragement.

Emery fixed much of Villa’s attacking plan around him. The manager is always keen to point out that Villa must “defend brilliantly” to win but if all goes to plan, the man in the most advanced position, and top of the Villa goalscoring charts on 10 goals, will get plenty of chances.

Perhaps it was the early success that helped Watkins trust Emery and his coaching team to fix the broken part of his game. One of the scenarios was to be ready to pounce onto a through-ball when Villa turn over possession against opponents playing with a high line.

In only Emery’s second game in charge, this played out. Watkins lurked on the shoulder of Harry Maguire away to Manchester United in the Carabao Cup and punished the centre-half by peeling away to latch onto a Jacob Ramsey pass and coolly finish in a game Villa would eventually lose 4-2, but the start of a new way of working was there.

I’m still not content with where I am at, I want more,” he said at Stamford Bridge. “We’ve got a real understanding as a team now. The fans should be excited because we definitely are.

“There’s a confidence that we can see games out now whereas at the start of the season we might have conceded. I want to score 20 goals and I want to get into Europe. I want to be playing every Thursday next season.”

For that to happen, Villa need to keep winning, starting with games away to Leicester City tomorrow and then Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Villa then have a difficult run of games, but they are also opportunities to take points off those above them and close the gap on the top seven after forcing their way into the top half for the first time under Emery.

With Watkins’ goals, it is starting to feel like a European finish is a genuine possibility. He is a big-game player, having scored 15 goals against Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea.

Watkins stands as one of only three players to have hit double figures for goals in each of the last three Premier League seasons. The other two are Harry Kane and Mohamed Salah — that is the kind of company he is keeping.

In the weeks ahead we will find out whether Watkins can fire Villa into Europe.

[villadelph]

With Soccer AM,

Most important bit, "I've got a clear understanding of how he wants to play, and what to do in certain situations."

[Smirker]

He works so hard as well. You can count on him to give everything he's got.

Even if I have doubts over him long term because of his finishing, I have a lot of time for him because he is such a pro.

Keep it up Ollie.

[mrfuse]

Ollie Watkins will make his 100th Premier League appearance today against Leicester.

Only nine players in the competitions history have scored more goals than Watkins for Aston Villa.

Take a look at how many goals each of those players scored in their first 100 Premier League games for the club.

[Lastfootstamper]

WE WANT EIGHT! WE WANT EIGHT!

[Drummond]

Oh how prime Benteke would thrive...

[Brend'Watkins]

Watched on twitter earlier a vid of the build up to his goal.  Luiz's contribution can not be underestimated the way he makes space in his own half to get past his man and then hit's the ball in the direction of Watkins Kookaburra gets a special mention too.

[Drummond]

Watched on twitter earlier a vid of the build up to his goal.  Luiz's contribution can not be underestimated the way he makes space in his own half to get past his man and then hit's the ball in the direction of Watkins Kookaburra gets a special mention too.

Luiz is getting better and better at that. He just seems to turn and drift past his man more and more and thus creates a lot of space.

[aldridgeboy]

Ollie Watkins. Fish murderer

[Toronto Villa]

Absolutely on fire

[Olof's Beard]

First player to score in 6 consecutive, top flight away games since Sergio Aguero in 2017 apparently. No in bad form is he? I always got the feeling he is harsh on himself but largely because he wants to be the best he can. He's now got the perfect manager to improve and fulfill his potential.