Ollie Watkins

[Tom13]

6 hours ago, Zero7 said:

He’s just a little off it at the moment, all strikers go through these moments. Remember his cracking goal last week 

He's not off it at the moment. His all round game last season wasn't great, and it isn't full stop. He just scored more as we were creating a lot more and he had Jack. But he was sloppy last season. One game in particular his sloppiness in possession cost us one goal and almost another.

Some aspects of his game are great, and some he can work on, but he'll always have some limitations, especially at this level.

[Tom13]

And he's an average finisher as well.

[jacketspuds]

Could’ve done more for their goal today when he was trying to stop the cross. Konsa didn’t do well with it either though.

[HalfTimePost]

Negativity in here is more off than Ollie.

By the time the third penalty shout came round he was so far in his head about the referee that he couldn't see the truth and it was affecting him.

On another day he gets the first penalty. Or a sympathetic ref gives the second once realising the mistake on the first. Ollie has an air of confidence about him and has a great game.

Instead, after the two genuine penalty shouts, he was a bit put off and ended up whining too much and (very incorrectly) thought there should've been a third chance.

If it wasn't for JJ and Young running out of Steam and Bailey being poor I think we'd have seen him come off and it not have looked as bad for him. Wasn't to be and it wasn't his day but I feel the ref's performance affected Ollies as he just felt hard done by half the game and then it didn't go his way.

Oh well. Onto the next.

 

[Tom13]

Ramsey put a good ball through to him in the first half and then burst into the box. Watkins could actually have got it back to him in a dangerous area to find his run, but as usual his touch was poor and it took him even wider.

[mikeyp102]

I’ve not seen the Palace game so I can’t comment, but I’d say Watkins like Targett was, is struggling without Grealish. He took two defenders away giving Watkins so much more space to play into, meaning that even with a poor first touch he could still then get the ball under control afterwards. 
 

[bobzy]

6 hours ago, Tom13 said:

He's not off it at the moment. His all round game last season wasn't great, and it isn't full stop. He just scored more as we were creating a lot more and he had Jack. But he was sloppy last season. One game in particular his sloppiness in possession cost us one goal and almost another.

Some aspects of his game are great, and some he can work on, but he'll always have some limitations, especially at this level.

I think that’s a bit unfair. Last season, his hold up play was very good. He was very much a vocal point for long balls, was strong against defenders and won a fair number of aerial duels too. It allowed players like Grealish to get up the pitch and join him and, in turn, he could spin in to the box and find space - which he did regularly and scored a good amount.

Yesterday - and I think for most of this season - his hold up play was not the same. The initial move was there, but the touch and strength seemingly lacking meaning we lost the ball a number of times when it came in to Ollie.

This is form. He’s a hard working player and he’ll bounce back, I’m sure. The goal against Brighton was quality and he really did need that. Just needs to get back to doing those “basics” well. 

[cheltenham_villa]

1 hour ago, mikeyp102 said:

I’ve not seen the Palace game so I can’t comment, but I’d say Watkins like Targett was, is struggling without Grealish. He took two defenders away giving Watkins so much more space to play into, meaning that even with a poor first touch he could still then get the ball under control afterwards. 
 

This is how I feel. Jack was so dominant on that left hand side it created space. Watkins could make a deep run down the left hand side and defenders had to choose between following him or doubling up on jack. 

He's finding his place again. My worry is he just doesn't look happy. I'm not sure he celebrated when Mcginn scored. 

[gwi1890]

20 minutes ago, cheltenham_villa said:

This is how I feel. Jack was so dominant on that left hand side it created space. Watkins could make a deep run down the left hand side and defenders had to choose between following him or doubling up on jack. 

He's finding his place again. My worry is he just doesn't look happy. I'm not sure he celebrated when Mcginn scored. 

He doesn’t celebrate any of the other players goals 

[AVTuco]

8 hours ago, osmark86 said:

He had a subpar game. Last game he scored. We know Watkins is a talented player, let's not pretend otherwise. Deserves benching? Hmmm not for me.

When you have Ings as another option, you don't have to "deserve benching". If you're not at your best, you sit. That's how it should be, and that's where we should be going.

[Tom13]

1 hour ago, bobzy said:

I think that’s a bit unfair. Last season, his hold up play was very good. He was very much a vocal point for long balls, was strong against defenders and won a fair number of aerial duels too. It allowed players like Grealish to get up the pitch and join him and, in turn, he could spin in to the box and find space - which he did regularly and scored a good amount.

Yesterday - and I think for most of this season - his hold up play was not the same. The initial move was there, but the touch and strength seemingly lacking meaning we lost the ball a number of times when it came in to Ollie.

This is form. He’s a hard working player and he’ll bounce back, I’m sure. The goal against Brighton was quality and he really did need that. Just needs to get back to doing those “basics” well. 

I hope you're right, as some aspects of his game I really do rate.

[useless]

He celebrated both goals yesterday and ran over to congratulate both goalscorers as well as patting some of the others on the back. If you watch the first goal it was actually excellent play by him that lead to the corner, initially he controlled a difficult long ball and did well to play Cash through on the right and after that move looked like it was going to fizzle out it was him and his workrate that rescued it again and he played a few one twos before playing another good pass to Cash which what lead to the corner that lead to the first goal.

Overall I didn't think he was bad at all, lost the ball a few times, a couple of those he should have definitely done better, but mostly it down to good defending from the Palace defenders, certainly I wouldn't be droppping him for Ings, Ings hasn't looked any better than Watkins when he's played, if Ings comes on in a game and impresses then fair enough, but as it stands he done nothing to deserve being in there ahead of Watkins.

Some of criticism that Watkins is getting is reminding me of the criticism that Mings was getting a few weeks ago.

[May-Z]

Watkins is a good player, but has one of the most frustrating first touches I've seen.

Re-watching the El Ghazi goal against Palace last year sums it up. Grealish plays a perfect pass where he would be one on one, his touch is poor and forces him wide, then El Ghazi smacks it in.

In terms of finishing though (being on target) he is very good. One thing that struck me at the open training session in pre-season was how every effort was on target. Watching that closely through the season, he very rarely puts it wide.

 

[foreveryoung]

I heard a commentator saying last season, he can score a goal or 2 but his main attribute is he is a constant 'pest' to defenders, always looking for the ball. This is missing in his game this season, he don't try hard enough to win the ball back and when he does have the ball he slows the play trying for the goal himself, when there are easier options.

I'm just not impressed with him this season, but he is better than this, as someone has said though, you don't really need a excuse to bench him when we have Ings as our second striker.

[MaVilla]

watching the game back, so many attacks broke down with Ollie, was something to watch having so many forward plays break down at the same point over and over.

[allani]

4 hours ago, bobzy said:

I think that’s a bit unfair. Last season, his hold up play was very good. He was very much a vocal point for long balls, was strong against defenders and won a fair number of aerial duels too. It allowed players like Grealish to get up the pitch and join him and, in turn, he could spin in to the box and find space - which he did regularly and scored a good amount.

Yesterday - and I think for most of this season - his hold up play was not the same. The initial move was there, but the touch and strength seemingly lacking meaning we lost the ball a number of times when it came in to Ollie.

This is form. He’s a hard working player and he’ll bounce back, I’m sure. The goal against Brighton was quality and he really did need that. Just needs to get back to doing those “basics” well. 

I think my current issue with Ollie as a central striker is that he isn't strong enough.  I don't think he was last year and he isn't this year.  He goes down far too easily.  Last season I think he won a lot of free kicks.  This season I think he is suffering from the fact that referees seem to have been told to let more things go.  He ends up on the deck so often that when he is fouled he seems to be not getting the decision.  I think that is frustrating him as is the fact that he is probably well behind the goal target that he has in his head - which probably means he is trying to do too much hence a heavy first touch or trying to make room for himself rather than seeing the man in space (even against Brighton the percentage option was to play in Bailey rather than aim for the top corner).  I think he was encouraged to play that way (if not by Dean then certainly because Jack won lots of plaudits due to the number of free kicks he won) - maybe SG will get him to work on being stronger and more physical in terms of layoffs to the two narrow "wide men" rather than trying to win a free kick.  If he does that I think he'll else end up winning more free kicks because he'll win a greater proportion of the 50/50 decisions because refs won't see him going down so easily.  Alan Shearer would be the classic case - he'd beat defenders up all game then go down and immediately get a free-kick because refs were like "well if Alan has gone down he must have been fouled".

[Talldarkandransome]

It was a little frustrating yesterday, losing the ball and falling over looking for pens. Maybe he does need to be a sub for a few games, his energy coming on after 70 mins might be a useful tactic.

I'm not writing him off just yet though, obvious talent

[wilko154]

Thought his first touch really let him down yesterday.

It's strange because once he nails his first touch and controls the ball it's quite difficult to get it off him and he drives up the pitch well.

On the ball yesterday he was very good, could probably been a bit stronger with some of the challenges against him in the penalty area.

I have no doubts it was a one match blip and he'll be back firing.

[avfc1982am]

Nothing wrong with Ollie. Not firing on all cylinders yet but does far more thankless work than anyone in the team imo. I think it's easy to forget just how physical the battle was with the Palace back line yesterday. 

[lexicon]

7 minutes ago, avfc1982am said:

Nothing wrong with Ollie. Not firing on all cylinders yet but does far more thankless work than anyone in the team imo. I think it's easy to forget just how physical the battle was with the Palace back line yesterday. 

Yup - it wasn't really coming off for him yesterday but that work rate will always mean he's a threat and useful to have on the pitch.