Ollie Watkins Faces Goal Drought as Aston Villa Secures Season's First Win
When Morgan Rogers passed the ball to Ollie Watkins, the Holte End erupted in chants of the striker's name.
Just moments after his weak penalty was saved by Bologna's Lukasz Skorupski, the crowd rallied again, chanting Watkins' name in support.
The England striker is currently experiencing a 10-game goal drought for both club and country at a time when Aston Villa needs him to be at his best, despite their Europa League victory on Thursday.
Watkins' nine matches without a goal in a Villa shirt match the longest stretch of his career at the club, having previously endured similar dry spells in the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons.
His second-half penalty presented an ideal opportunity to break this streak, but a poorly executed strike lacked confidence, allowing Skorupski to save with his legs.
Watkins has now failed to score in three of his last five penalties for Villa, including a miss in last season's Champions League against Celtic.
Fortunately for Villa, a late save from Marco Bizot against Martin Vitik meant the missed penalty did not affect the outcome, as Villa secured their first victory of the season thanks to an early goal from John McGinn.
This win allowed manager Unai Emery to relax and confidently assert that Watkins will soon end his goal drought. “He didn’t score, okay, it doesn’t matter, the goal is coming through the work he did today,” Emery stated.
“I am happy because he played his role well. He worked hard, which is the most important thing. He pressed, engaged in duels, created chances, and earned a penalty. He missed, but the key takeaway is how he performed in those 30 minutes. He did a fantastic job.”
Emery emphasized that Watkins should feel satisfied with his efforts, noting, “He must feel after each match as I do now—happy because he worked hard. If he starts scoring, he will feel even better. The most important aspect is his contribution to the team's tasks. Today he played well; it wasn’t enough because he didn’t score, but it was a good performance. This is the first step.”
Watkins' struggles can be traced back to the latter half of last season when he netted only four times in Villa's final 19 matches.
The 29-year-old started 13 of those games but was omitted from the starting lineup during their Champions League quarter-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, playing just 25 minutes across both legs.
This season, he has squandered all five of his significant chances, recorded only 40 touches in the opponent's box across nine appearances, and is averaging less than one shot on target per game.
With an expected goals return of 2.2, it is evident that he is falling short of expectations.
Despite this, Watkins remains Villa's all-time leading scorer in the Premier League. His goal against Bournemouth in May brought his total to 75, surpassing Gabby Agbonlahor, who achieved his tally in 133 fewer matches.
In total, he has scored 87 goals in 229 appearances for Villa and five in 19 caps for England, including a debut goal against San Marino in 2021.
Watkins made an immediate impact in his first season at Villa, netting 16 goals after his £28 million transfer from Brentford. His first top-flight goals came in a remarkable hat-trick during Villa's stunning 7-2 victory over Liverpool in October 2020.
He has consistently scored in double figures throughout his five years in the Premier League, including 19 goals last season, which helped propel Villa into the Champions League. There is a strong belief that he will soon return to form.
Teammate John McGinn commented, “He’s a top-class striker. He’s not in the England squad for nothing. He has demonstrated his quality over the years. If he’s not scoring, that’s okay. His effort for the team is evident. We don’t need to add any pressure or external noise. He’s been brilliant for us and has nothing to prove.”