Fizzling Out or Fighting Back? The Defining Weeks for Villa and Watkins

The Good, Bad and Ugly – Fizzling Out or Fighting Back?

Sometimes football is about feelings more than analysis, so the Good, Bad and Ugly has taken a break from chronicling the emotional roller coaster that following Aston Villa inevitably generates and lived it instead.

However, now is the time to take stock.

The Good

If any two weeks summed up Aston Villa’s season, it’s been the period since the PSG games.

Some scintillating play, punctuated by missed chances and a familiar feeling of regret and anger, has been par for the course.

The best of Villa was on full display during the second half against PSG and the demolition of Newcastle – matches where domination, fast passing, control, and momentum all came together. They showed the kind of energy and pace that other top teams seem to master so effortlessly.

It could all have been so different if this version of Villa had shown up consistently throughout the season. Genuinely, anything was possible – especially when you consider a functional Liverpool side cruising through the Premier League with no real challengers.

Despite what’s to come later in this piece, the good news is that Villa still have a chance to salvage something after two self-inflicted hammer blows in the past week.

The key now is not to let it fizzle out.

Villan of the Week – John McGinn

Super John McGinn, especially against PSG, showed that even the best teams in Europe can be humbled if you take the fight to them. In both legs, McGinn played like Villa’s secret weapon.

It’s a crying shame that Villa didn’t manage to get on level terms before he was subbed off, meaning that the second leg goes down as one of the most glorious failures of recent years.

McGinn smashed through one of Europe’s most acclaimed midfield combinations – sometimes, ‘no fear’ really is the best approach.

The Bad

While “no fear” was the approach against PSG, the back-to-back games against Manchester City and Crystal Palace again showed that fear is the mind-killer for Unai Emery and Aston Villa.

After eviscerating Newcastle just days earlier, hopes were high that the same lineup – particularly Mings and Maatsen – would be trusted in at least one of the next two games.

Unfortunately, for reasons known only to the management team, Digne and Torres started both matches.

Pau Torres, and especially Lucas Digne, have excelled at times throughout this season and last, but when a different combination is hot, you have to play what’s in form. (See: Gareth Southgate and every England tournament exit in recent memory.)

Of course, sod’s law meant that Torres’ lack of basic defensive nous was painfully exposed in both games. But the blame ultimately lies with the manager.

A worrying pattern is beginning to form for Unai Emery: when the big games arrive, the side he picks often doesn’t.

Olympiakos, Manchester City, Crystal Palace, and three-quarters of Paris Saint-Germain were all tipping points before greatness – and instead, they became what if? moments, played with the handbrake firmly on.

It’s worth considering, that in both of Villa’a successive semi-final failures under Emery, Villa started both games as favourites. If Villa are to make good on a most promising period in their history, they can’t afford to freeze again.

The Ugly

Aston Villa are on the cusp of becoming a top side. The final hurdle may not be cleared yet, but everything is in place – and with the rewards come the drawbacks.

While Villa fans once looked from afar at the internal drama and media scrutiny facing players from Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool, being their peers brings that drama closer to home.

Nothing has highlighted this more than the recent Ollie Watkins saga.

Watkins – excellent off the bench against Southampton and impressive starting against Newcastle – was a peripheral figure against Paris Saint-Germain. And the first time he had press microphones in front of him, he made sure everyone knew he was “fuming.”

Fans longer in the tooth – or those nostalgic for an older era – could have predicted this unfolding during the most pivotal week of the season.

Watkins was benched because he was underperforming by his own high standards. When asked about it, that was his opportunity to acknowledge the missed chances and signal that he was ready to bounce back.

Instead, he gave the media a headline, adding unnecessary pressure on himself. Whether or not it contributed to him being benched for Rashford against Manchester City, it certainly didn’t help his case when he followed up with a no-show performance against Crystal Palace.

There are many factors at play, but when you’re rubbing shoulders with the Premier League elite, you have to play the game smarter – both on and off the pitch.

The predictable backlash after both Rashford and Watkins were pictured attending the Benn vs. Eubank Jr. fight – just hours after the Palace humiliation – was simply the cherry on top.

Ollie Watkins now stands one goal away from becoming Aston Villa’s record Premier League goalscorer – a feat that deserves to be celebrated

Currently sitting on 15 Premier League goals for the season, pushing closer to 20 goals over Villa’s final four games would also greatly boost the team’s Champions League push.

It would be a shame if one of Villa’s best forwards in recent memory leaves under a cloud.

With Rashford sidelined, the time is now for Watkins to cement his Villa legacy.

UTV

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