Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has backed Ollie Watkins to end his goal drought soon after the England striker missed a penalty in the 1-0 win over Bologna.
John McGinn’s 12th-minute strike from outside the box was enough to separate the sides, as Villa held off a strong second-half push from the visitors.
Despite the win, England striker Ollie Watkins’ struggles in front of goal continued. The 29-year-old came off the bench in the 58th minute and won a penalty shortly after, but his low effort was saved by Lukasz Skorupski. Watkins has now gone 10 games without scoring for club and country – his joint-longest goalless spell for Villa.
Emery, however, remains optimistic about Watkins’ form returning. “He worked today like he is confident and this is the first step to recover that confidence,” Emery said post-match. “He didn’t score, okay, it doesn’t matter. The goal is coming through the work he did today. He pressed, got into duels, created chances, and took on responsibility. That’s what matters.”
Watkins has missed all five of his big chances this season and has managed less than one shot on target per game. Despite that, Emery and teammates continue to support him. Club captain McGinn said, “He’s a top-class striker. He’s not in the England squad for nothing. He’s been brilliant for us and has nothing to prove.”
Watkins, Villa’s all-time leading Premier League goalscorer, has netted 87 times in 229 appearances for the club, including 19 league goals last season that helped fire Villa to Champions League qualification.
