Unai Emery has raised eyebrows with how he has recently used England striker Ollie Watkins, made up for Marcus Rashford about his top scorer in the Champions League against PSG in Midweek
Unai Emery has Ollie Watkins exactly where he wants him – angry. The boss of Aston Villa took care of Marcus Rashford to lead his attacks for the Midweek Champions League Blockbuster against PSG – again leaving the English international on the couch.
Watkins was in Southampton last Saturday match – jumped in the action at the hour and offered the spark for Villa to earn three precious points. But he was overlooked in the midweek for the return bone against PSG.
The attacker struggled with a knee problem, but Emery said it was his decision, and the Spaniard said he hoped that the decision made the blood of his striker.
Asked for his choice, Emery said: “It was my selection, tactical. We add more competition, more competitions and we hit a different level.
“Of course Watkins is very, very important to us. He scores goals for us, and last Saturday his impact was fantastic. On Tuesday it was difficult for him to read the game and show his strength. But he worked, he is ready.
“I am so happy with him, and I want to win tomorrow. As players they can be sad in not playing or being angry with not playing – I prefer angry.”
Watkins played a crucial role in shaping villa during the time of Emery. But the boss of the club also reminded both supporters and players that, with such a heavy fixture schedule, he could not guarantee anyone on the field.
He said: “Four months ago we did not win competitions because we did not have enough players. They were injured or not fit – maybe we were not 100 percent four months ago. We only lost one match at home – but we signed a lot – and they are lost points.
“Newcastle is five points in front of us. We have to be competitive. If we want to keep the same level, it is so difficult. The mentality must be that we are ready to play for 90 minutes, 60 minutes or 30 minutes.”
Earlier this season, Villa lost 3-0 in St James's Park in a game that made Emery upset on the red card, moved to striker Jhon Duran. He is not on the size of the task that awaits him with the magpies who have won five in the spider.
He said: “They are strong, they have that in everything. They can play combinations, they can play long balls, they can play so quickly. They will play in the man-to-man in duels.
“It is a huge challenge to beat them because the level they have comparable to PSG. I think their progress is really clear. Last year they struggled a lot with injuries when they played in Europe.
“But this year they play consistently without many injuries. How they play is:” Wow. “