Aston Villa are going through the toughest period of the Unai Emery era after failing to win any of their last eight matches in all competitions.
In some games, Unai Emery has been found out with his high line, while in others, his players haven’t reached their usual high standards.
It’s becoming a problem that should be fixed by winning a game of football but when a losing mentality has affected the squad, that is easier than done.
Many of Emery’s Aston Villa stars have suffered through this period, with Leon Bailey and Morgan Rogers out of form, alongside talisman Ollie Watkins.
Watkins was criticised against Chelsea for missing two golden chances, as Villa lost 3-0, but despite him failing to score in four of his last five games, Thomas Frank is aware of his talent.
Thomas Frank praises Ollie Watkins ahead of Aston Villa vs Brentford
It was Frank – during Watkins’ time at Brentford – who handed the 28-year-old a platform to shine in the Championship.
Under the Danish managers’ guidance, the England international plundered 34 goals in 83 matches while forming a lethal partnership with Bryan Mbeumo and Said Benrahma.
A £28 million move to Aston Villa soon followed in the summer of 2020 and the rest, as they say, is history. Watkins is now one of Europe’s best forwards, and Frank hasn’t forgotten the impact he had at Brentford.
Speaking to Brentford’s official website, the 51-year-old said: “Ollie is a top player. He has developed well at Aston Villa over the last few years, where he is constantly adding layers.
“He will score goals again – just hopefully not tomorrow! He can even be the top goalscorer in the league, as long as he doesn’t score against us.”
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Ollie Watkins impressive goal record vs Brentford
In many ways, Watkins helped kickstart Brentford’s journey towards becoming an established Premier League club, and Frank also recognised that in his pre-match preview.
“He was very important for us. He was here for three years: two years as a winger and then we moved him to a striker, where he really flourished,” Frank added.
“I really liked him as a striker and he played a big part in that very good season. We played some fantastic football but we just narrowly missed out on promotion.
“But he helped get us up to that position, along with the other players, and then we took the final step. He’s been a big part of the journey we’ve been on.”
Although the Villa forward is currently out of form, his goal record against his former employers explains why Frank is worried about facing him.
In five appearances against the Bees, he’s struck four times, including a brace in Villa’s 3-3 draw at home to Brentford in April.
Hopefully, he can rediscover his scoring streak on Wednesday and fire his side to a much-needed three points.
