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Ollie Watkins | Getty Images
Aston Villa are on the brink of the top four in the Premier League after their recent upturn in form under Unai Emery
Aston Villa are positioned in 6th place in the Premier League table after their first 11 fixtures and they are only a point off the top four as they target a return to the Champions League. They made a slow start to this season initially but seem to have clicked into gear now. The Midlands club won 4-0 at home to AFC Bournemouth last time out.
They now head into the international break in confident mood and will want to keep their momentum going when they return. Emi Buendia, Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen got their goals against the Cherries as they ran out comfortable winners. Their next match is an away trip to West Yorkshire to lock horns with Leeds United on Sunday 23rd November.
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins left out of England squad
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has been left out of England’s latest squad. Thomas Tuchel decided not to call up the 29-year-old for their upcoming games against Serbia and Albania. The former Chelsea boss has opted for other players in his position such as Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford. Ezri Konsa and Morgan Rogers are included.
Watkins, who has made 20 caps for the Three Lions, collided with the post at Wembley against Wales in his last outing with his country and was subsequently sent home. He remains part of their plans ahead of the World Cup in USA, Canada and Mexico last year. The forward faces a lot of competition for his place though and will be aiming to hit form in the meantime.
The Torquay-born man hasn’t been too prolific for Aston Villa so far in this campaign. He has only managed to score one goal in 16 matches under Emery this term. The former Exeter City and Brentford man has found the net on 88 occasions in 239 outings for his current club since joining up with them back in 2020 and needs to build his confidence back up.
Why Ollie Watkins omission is a blessing in disguise for Aston Villa
Watkins’ omission from England is a blessing in disguise for Aston Villa. It protects his fitness and ensures he will be fully available when they travel to Elland Road to play Leeds in a couple of weeks. It is important that he gets a rest and he can put his feet up a bit over the next couple of weeks and recharge.
He can return with a refreshed mindset now and has avoided burnout by not travelling with the Three Lions’ camp. Their matches against Serbia and Albania are dead rubbers anyway and are relatively pointless. They have already qualified for the World Cup and the upcoming clashes are basically for gelling the squad together and for Tuchel to get his ideas implemented.
Aston Villa are juggling domestic duties with European football at the moment and the matches are coming thick and fast. They need key men like Watkins to ready and firing as they try and deal with the increased workload. Therefore, although he may be personally slightly disappointed, not being included by England isn’t the worst thing in the world from a selfish point of view by Emery.
England squad in full:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope. Defenders: Dan Burn, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Nico O'Reilly, Jarrel Quansah, Djed Spence, John Stones. Midfielders: Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers, Alex Scott, Adam Wharton. Forwards: Jarrod Bowen, Eberechi Eze, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka.
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