Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has come in for criticism following his display in Friday night’s 1-1 draw at Newcastle.
It was a heavily-deflected Watkins effort that gave Villa the lead with five minutes remaining, but it was largely a difficult night.
Watkins lost possession 18 times during the game, misplacing seven of his passes (via SofaScore).
And, it’s safe to say Claret and Blue podcast host Dan Rolinson wasn’t too happy with the striker.
‘The ball was bouncing off Watkins’
The podcast’s host, Dan Rolinson, was similarly frustrated.
“I think he was poor,” he said. “He’s played better in recent weeks and not got the goal.
“I thought the ball was bouncing off him, he couldn’t get it under control.
“He’s had a lonely slog of a few weeks without Jack Grealish.
“I think he was below his usual standards, but he wasn’t the only one, was he?”
TIF THOUGHTS ON OLLIE WATKINS:
The Englishman, signed from Brentford in the summer for a fee in the region of £30million, has broadly enjoyed a strong season.
He has scored 10 Premier League goals, more than the likes of Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
But he is in the midst of a six-game goal drought now as Villa toil without their injured talisman Jack Grealish.
Without Grealish, the Villans have won only one of their five matches and scored three goals.
Watkins could be forgiven for starting to suffer from fatigue. He has played every single minute in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).
There is an international break on the horizon which could provide him with some much-needed rest.
And in the final portion of the season, Dean Smith may just be able to call upon Wesley as an alternative.
The towering Brazilian has returned to contact training and is set to be involved in Under-23 action after a huge 14-month lay-off (via Premier Injuries).