Unai Emery’s Aston Villa bounced back from a disappointing 2-0 defeat at home to Arsenal during matchday two by taking home all three points against a valiant Leicester City on Saturday afternoon. Amadou Onana continued his top form since joining his new club by giving the Villans the lead for his second goal in three games in the Midlands.
The three points were secured by substitute Jhon Duran, who struck two minutes after coming off the bench to double his side’s advantage. There were plenty of rumours that the young striker would not be at Villa Park come the end of the transfer window, but the Colombian stayed put, and his current form is bound to give his manager a headache he would rather avoid. With Ollie Watkins the current focal point in Aston Villa’s attack, the time may be ticking for his starting berth as Villa’s central striker.
Jhon Duran is a joke pic.twitter.com/Of7LRtwXoy
— George (@George_Zur) August 31, 2024
Duran Proves He Deserves to Start
Having joined from MLS club Chicago Fire in January of 2023, Duran has waited patiently for his opportunity to prove that he is more than just potential. 13 goal contributions in 27 MLS games as a teenager is no easy feat, but as is often the case with anyone moving to England’s top flight, time for adjustment was needed. And also expected from the player’s point of view too.
Eighteen months on, and Duran has kicked into the gear that perhaps he expected to. 10 goals in 52 games is a respectable turnaround, but when you dig deeper into the numbers, it is a little more impressive. The youngster averages a goal every 131.1 minutes when he is on the pitch. That is a more efficient record than the man who sits in front of him, Watkins, who finds the net every 204.4 minutes.
That has been helped by the fact that, despite Duran not playing the length of a full game of football this season (82 minutes), he has still become the main source of goals in attack while coming off the bench. This is a sign that the 20-yard-old is on the cusp of fulfilling his potential. Emery may be forced to make a big change in order to make sure that this development isn’t stunted.
Watkins Yet to Find the Net
It would’ve been expected that Watkins would return to Villa firing on all cylinders. After another fruitful campaign last season, the former Brentford star was then called upon by his country and produced one of the greatest moments at Euro 2024 by scoring a 90th minute winner to send England through to the tournament’s final.
The finish was typical of Watkins’ strength and was exactly why Three Lions fans had called for him to be used more frequently while Harry Kane was struggling with his form. In an ironic twist of fate, the shoe now finds itself on the other foot thanks to the 28-year-old’s misfiring start to the season.
This was epitomised by his efforts against Arsenal. A scuffed effort that found its way past the post could’ve and perhaps should’ve put Emery’s side ahead against his former employer. Then, in the second half, an even worse miss. With David Raya lying on the goal line as the ball crashed on the crossbar above him and the entire goal to aim at, Watkins managed to head the ball into the Spaniard’s reach when the net should’ve been bulging, especially given his £130,000 p/w wages.
It was an uncharacteristic mistake from the England international, but it was indicative of his early season woes. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t be a cause for concern for the player. With no genuine threat to his position in years prior and his manager’s love for the player, Watkins would always be given the opportunity to score himself out of any rut he may have found himself in. His style of play is also exactly what the former Sevilla coach wants from his front man. It is clear that’s the case as the player has excelled ever since Emery arrived in 2022.
However, the stats don’t lie. And, for the start of the 2024/24 campaign at least, the stats are in favour of the new kid on the block. You cannot deny someone who is banging on the door and producing the goods at the same time. As loyal as Emery is to Watkins, in Duran, Villa may have a player they can build around for the future if they can keep him happy. Which they haven’t done thus far. The best way to do so? Let him sink or swim from the start.
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