Devon’s Ollie Watkins Can Bounce Back From World Cup Disappointment
After just missing out on England’s 2022 World Cup squad, the focus for Devon’s Ollie Watkins is firmly on impressing for Aston Villa this season.
Falling short of making the major tournament in Qatar will have been tough to take for the 26-year-old from Newton Abbot but he has bounced back from setbacks in the past and can do it again.
Watkins Missed Out Narrowly
While the likes of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling were always expected to be on the flight to the Middle East, Watkins found himself in a group of forwards who also had strong ambitions of reaching Qatar. Betway.com had England as title contenders pre-tournament for the 2022 World Cup and any English player would have been desperate to make Gareth Southgate’s squad. In a group alongside the likes of Callum Wilson and James Maddison, Devon’s Watkins will have been hoping to make the 26-man England squad.
Timing their form just right for Newcastle United and Leicester City respectively in the Premier League, Wilson and Maddison edged ahead of Devon's Watkins in the pecking order to make the cut. Illness just before the World Cup would not have helped his cause either and in the end, it was Watkins who was one of the unlucky few to just miss out on Southgate’s squad.
Eager To Impress New Boss
Having digested the news, Watkins will have quickly moved on to making sure he impresses the new manager at Aston Villa in the form of Unai Emery. Brought in to replace Steven Gerrard at the West Midlands outfit, Emery made a positive start to life back in the Premier League before the World Cup break. League wins over Manchester United and Brighton before the World Cup helped Villa climb up to 12th place in the Premier League standings.
It has not been the start to the season Watkins would have hoped for and the former Exeter City forward will know there is room for improvement. Two goals from his first 14 Premier League appearances is not the return he would have been looking for from the first section of the season. However, in a new system under Emery, Watkins might well shine once again in the top flight as he did in his first two campaigns in the division.
Following his move from then Championship side Brentford, Watkins showed he’s more than capable at the Premier League level with 14 goals in his first season in the top division. Making four fewer starts the following season, Watkins still managed to score another 11 Premier League goals for the Villans. Knowing is half the battle and Watkins will certainly know he has the ability and the temperament to thrive once again in the top flight.
England Hopes For The Future
With the next major international tournament taking place at Euro 2024 in Germany, Watkins will be looking to that competition as his next goal with the Three Lions. With Nations League action and European Championship qualification before then, there is plenty of football to come with England in between.
Watkins has seven caps for his country to his name and has already scored twice for the Three Lions. The first did not take the former Western-super-Mare loanee long as scored with his first touch in an England shirt on his debut against San Marino. A great moment for Watkins at the iconic Wembley Stadium in a 2022 World Cup qualification win. Watkins came off the bench that day to get the goal in a 5-0 win over San Marino, while he also scored on his first England start in a 3-0 win over the Ivory Coast back in March this year. At that time it looked like Watkins would be a player heading to the World Cup in Qatar but it was not to be.
For the moment, all Watkins can do is get back to form with Aston Villa and try to help the ambitious club achieve its goals this season under Emery. All players have setbacks in their careers, and Watkins can bounce back and challenge for an England spot for Euro 2024.
