Former Aston Villa striker hails Ollie Watkins and makes Premier League defenders ‘panic’ claim

Former Aston Villa striker Dion Dublin believes ‘simplicity’ is the key factor in Ollie Watkins’ stunning run of form.

The seven-times capped England forward put in another impressive display on Tuesday night as he scored in Villa’s 2-1 win at relegation-threatened Leicester City as Unai Emery’s side thrust themselves into the race for a European place.

In opening the scoring at the King Power Stadium, Watkins continued a prolific streak in front of goal as he netted his eighth goal in his last ten games and found the net for the sixth consecutive away game. When assessing the striker’s upturn in form, Dublin believes Watkins is benefitting from the advice his has received from his manager and is now creating panic in opposition defences.

Speaking on Match of the Day, he said: “He’s in what we call in the game a purple patch. He just seems to be in the right place at the right time and he’s enjoying his football with a smile on his face and it’s down to simplicity.

“I think it’s down to what the manager is asking him to do. The body language there (during an attack) is what you want from your centre forward. Occupying two defenders, wanting to go forward, wanting to create a chance for yourself, but telling your midfield player where to pass a ball.

“Same position, same run, they tried to play offside, there’s no pressure on the ball, and he holds off two defenders, he wants to score. A lot of centre forwards won’t go through the pain barrier to score. Defenders are starting to panic over Ollie Watkins because he’s found his form, he’s found his pace.”

Watkins will hope to continue his impressive record in front of goal when Villa entertain Nottingham Forest in their latest Premier League game on Saturday afternoon.