Ollie Watkins is thriving at Aston Villa, all thanks to Unai Emery's guidance on turning chaos into success. Since Emery took charge, the England striker has been a key part of Villa's comeback.
He's already scored 12 goals for both club and country this season, earning a starting spot for England recently. According to ex-Villa star Dean Saunders, Watkins is having a blast because Emery knows exactly how to bring out his best.
Quoted by the Mirror, Saunders said: "When Steven Gerrard was manager, Villa were trying to play a style of football where Ollie doesn’t get the ball until the eighth or ninth pass. That didn’t suit him at all. He wasn’t scoring goals."
"He relies on a back four being out of shape when a ball is played up to him. He knows where to run. If you’re making eight passes, then any defence worth its salt has time to get set. They can put themselves into position and get the distances right between them - they’re all in sync."
"But now when Villa turn the ball over - and the opposition right-back’s up the pitch - or one centre-half is a yard or two in front of the other one, as a striker you can suddenly see a gap to run into."
“If you’ve got four defenders stood in front of you, you’ve got nowhere to run apart from towards the ball. That doesn’t suit him. He needs to be going the other way - towards the goal."
On Watkins role in the club Saunders added: "He’s absolutely vital to Villa. He’s just signed a long-term deal and I’m not in the least bit surprised."
"He’s a hard worker, he’s making those runs and people are finding him. Emery’s said to Villa’s players: 'Your first thought is to get him in on goal - if you can’t wait until you can.'"
