Unai Emery has Ollie Watkins right where he wants him – angry. Aston Villa’s boss plumped for Marcus Rashford to spearhead his attacking for the midweek Champions League blockbuster against PSG – again leaving the England international on the bench.
Watkins was a substitute last Saturday game at Southampton – jumping into the action on the hour, providing the spark for Villa to earn three precious points. But he was overlooked in midweek for the return leg against PSG.
The forward has been struggling with a knee issue, but Emery said it was his decision, and the Spaniard said he hoped the decision made his striker’s blood boil.
Asked about his choice, Emery said: “It was my selection, tactically. We are adding more competition, more matches and we are hitting another level.
“Of course, Watkins is very, very important for us. He’s scoring goals for us, and last Saturday, his impact was fantastic. On Tuesday, it was difficult for him to read the match and show his power. But he worked, he is ready.
“I am so, so happy with him, and I want to win tomorrow. As players, they can be sad at not playing or angry at not playing – I prefer angry.”
Watkins has played a crucial role in shaping Villa during Emery’s time in charge. But the club’s boss again reminded both supporters and players that, with such a heavy fixture schedule, he cannot guarantee anyone minutes on the pitch.
He said: “Four months ago, we weren’t winning matches because we didn’t have enough players. They were either injured, or not fit – maybe we weren’t 100 per cent four months ago. We have only lost one match at home – but we have drawn a lot – and they are lost points.
“Newcastle are five points in front of us. We have to be competitive. If we want to keep the same level, it is so, so difficult. The mentality has to be that we are ready, focused to play 90 minutes, 60 minutes or 30 minutes.”
Villa lost 3-0 at St James’s Park earlier this season in a match that left Emery upset at the red card dished out to striker Jhon Duran. He is under no illusion as to the size of the task awaiting him with the Magpies having won five on the spin.
He said: “They are strong, they have that in everything. They can play combinations, they can play long balls, they can play so fast. They will play in duels man-to-man all over the field.
“It is a huge challenge to try to beat them because the level they have is similar to PSG. I think their progress is really clear. Last year, they were struggling a lot with injuries when they were playing in Europe.
“But this year they are playing consistently without a lot of injuries. How they are playing is: ‘Wow.’
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