Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has expressed his confidence that striker Ollie Watkins will soon find the back of the net with greater regularity. Emery's comments came after Watkins scored in Villa's recent 3-1 victory over Fulham at Villa Park.
Watkins' goal against Fulham was his first of the Premier League season, a welcome relief after missing a penalty in the Europa League match against Bologna. The England forward's strike leveled the score against Fulham, setting the stage for Villa's comeback win. John McGinn and Emi Buendia added further goals to secure Villa's first Premier League victory of the season.
Emery acknowledged the importance of Watkins getting on the scoresheet. "For the team, it is very important. We were not scoring goals. We needed the goals through Watkins, Buendia and McGinn," he said. He also highlighted Watkins' overall performance and commitment to the team. "Hopefully he keeps going, but it's the consequences of how he played on Thursday," Emery said. "He missed the penalty, which was important, but the most important and the first step forward is sticking to your tasks and he was doing that on Thursday and today."
Emery believes that Watkins' goal against Fulham will boost his confidence and lead to more goals in the future. "The goals are coming hopefully for the next matches," he stated.
The Villa manager also praised his team's performance against Fulham, noting their energy, passion, and renewed confidence. "We needed to win it was very clear," Emery said. "We played with energy and passion and changed through the match because we recovered confidence." He added that the win was a "fantastic response of some players after the goal".
Villa's victory over Fulham lifted them out of the Premier League relegation zone. Emery will be hoping that Watkins' return to scoring form will help Villa continue their climb up the table.
Looking ahead, Emery emphasized the importance of maintaining the same mentality and focus that led to the win against Fulham. He also stressed the need for every player to be ready to contribute and perform at their best.
