Aston Villa needs OIlie Watkins to re-find his goalscoring form if they are to continue their fight for Champions League football.
It has been a great season for Aston Villa so far which sees them sitting in fourth spot in the Premier League.
There have been constant improvements made by Unai Emery and his side from last season through to the halfway point of this campaign.
The Villans have had many standout games which have captured the imagination of Villa fans and rival supporters.
With huge wins over Manchester City and Arsenal in consecutive games earlier in the season there has been plenty of positivity. This has been extended from early season thrashings of Brighton and Hove Albion and West Ham United.
These sorts of wins have become a rarity in recent weeks. This isn’t to say that the Villans haven’t been in good form but the results have been grinded out.
The past two games have finished in a goalless draw and before that, the 1-0 win over Middlesbrough was very late.
With that being said, there is one man who needs to reignite his form and if he does, Villa will only get better moving forward.
Ollie Watkins to fire Villa to Champions League
It is no secret that Villa fans have grown in optimism since the beginning of the season. Now Champions League football feels like a realistic goal.
Given that Villa have occupied second, third and fourth place in the Premier League for many weeks it would be disappointing to miss out.
There is one man who could step up and help fire the Villa to a top-four finish. Ollie Watkins is without a goal since December 17th and hasn’t got an assist since the 30th of December. This isn’t to say that his performances haven’t been positive.
According to FotMob, against Chelsea this weekend he was only able to secure 26 touches across the 90 minutes. In this time he was able to get one shot away and was able to keep it on target. He wasn’t able to get a winner, however.
He was dispossessed three times, failed to make a successful dribble and had just four touches in the Chelsea penalty area.
Given the nature of the game, this return from the England international was quite disappointing. His hold-up play was excellent but his potency in front of goal wasn’t there.
If Villa want to maintain their great form this season, they need to get Watkins back scoring. This could coincide with a return to form for Moussa Diaby in the front two.
If Watkins gets scoring, there is a high likelihood that the Villans will win more games and maintain or improve their form. This will almost certainly see a Champions League place be secured by Emery and Co.
