Ollie Watkins

[amfy]

Heard about it before I saw it but I’ve no problem with that interview at all! It was honest but it’s not like he’s saying there’s been a massive falling out or anything. He’s said he believes he deserves to play. Good. I want players who want to play.

[AV84]

Watkins believes Emery will now have "a headache" over his next starting XI.

"I'm banging on the door asking why I'm not playing," he added, while also pointing out Villa's strength in depth.

"Since I have been at Villa, a lot of fans would say it is the best squad we have had.

"The signings we made in January, players like Rashford and [Marco] Asensio coming in, the quality means players like myself have to drop to the bench and there's going to be lots of rotation."

[Rory]

Ollie has made a point of gesturing to the ground when he's scored recently, presumably suggesting 'I'm staying/I want to be here'.

Purely guesswork, but I wonder if he's been told he is one of the players we will actively be considering offers for this summer, for financial reasons.

He seems to have a connection with the club and he's a smart lad, so maybe he's communicating that, if he were to leave, he's not been pressuring for it?

[aldridgeboy]

Fab today.
I wouldn’t start him against City. Let him start at Wembley wanting to make the point his did today.

[edgysatsuma89]

Fab today.
I wouldn’t start him against City. Let him start at Wembley wanting to make the point his did today.

I'd call him a poo poo head and see how he reacts. Make him proper angry.

[eamonn]

His little kid probably calls him similar as Ollie is made of strong shit.

[kippaxvilla2]

He was inferring not do discreetly that he was a big part of getting us to the champions league and therefore is most disappointed the Johnny Come Latelys - you know the Rashfords who have been in the CL previously are getting in ahead of him.

[trinityoap]

If that is how he plays after being "dropped" then he should be dropped more often.

[AV82EC]

1. He was superb yesterday

2. He’s going nowhere.

3. He’s an integral part of the way Unai wants to play.

That’s really all that needs to be said.

[Mellin]

Rather than a loss of confidence, I wonder if Emery could just see that he needed a rest...as we all could. He'd essentially been playing non-stop for nearly two years.

Whatever the motive it has worked, anyway. Looks back to his best.

[eamonn]

A rest...ahead of the club' s biggest game in 42 years? Please...look, Emery is close to being a God but he screwed the pooch on this.

Pissing Ollie off, potentially losing him now in the summer and bringing him on for 20 minutes just as his replacement, Rashford, was murdering the Parisians leading to both strikers pissed-off at the end of the game. While Unai falls to the ground in agony at another missed chance and the hood on his jacket flaps over his head like a Basque Mr Bean.

[Smithy]

If that is how he plays after being "dropped" then he should be dropped more often.

I think this is a point many people are missing.  His performance yesterday will no doubt have been influenced by the competition he faces if he doesn't perform.  Not that he wasn't trying before, but this is what TOP teams have, competition in every position, and the knowledge that you're not going to get a run of games to play yourself into fitness/form.

When you get the chance - as Ollie did yesterday - you NEED to take it.  And he did.

[danno]

This stat surprised me a little when I read it:

Watkins' goal means he is the first Villa player to score 15 or more times in three consecutive Premier League seasons.

Yorke comes closest scoring 17 in 95/96. 17 in 96/97 and 12 in 97/98.

[Mellin]

A rest...ahead of the club' s biggest game in 42 years? Please...look, Emery is close to being a God but he screwed the pooch on this.

Pissing Ollie off, potentially losing him now in the summer and bringing him on for 20 minutes just as his replacement, Rashford, was murdering the Parisians leading to both strikers pissed-off at the end of the game. While Unai falls to the ground in agony at another missed chance and the hood on his jacket flaps over his head like a Basque Mr Bean.

Yeah, a rest. I didn't want him to start in Paris, either. He was massively out of form and could understand Rashford's pace/record there was a big plus. I'd start Watkins if the game was tomorrow, but that's the nature of form and absolutely how we should be doing things.

As for Basque Mr. Bean? What?

[TopDeck113]

I think he will leave in the summer. From the club's point of view, his value is as much as it's likely to be and we're still in the situation of having to do financial jiggery-pokery to keep both the Premier League and now UEFA happy. Some of the quotes are setting the mood music.