Ollie Watkins has had a difficult season leading the line for Aston Villa.
Aston Villa have not been able to count on Watkins for his usual reliable amount of goals so far in this campaign.
He has notched just one goal in eight Premier League appearances this season, a dismal return for a man who has had multiple seasons with over 15 goals in the competition.
Watkins wants to make the England squad for the World Cup, but right now, there should be question marks over his place in the line-up at Villa Park.
Ollie Watkins is lagging behind Brenden Aaronson in Premier League statistic
Watkins has never fully convinced Emery that he is the man for Villa, and that is especially true this season.
Watkins has created a total of 1.6 expected goals this season, which ranks 31st in the division, and he has been overtaken by Leeds United ace Brenden Aaronson (1.62) after the Whites beat West Ham on 24 October, per Sofascore.
That is shameful as the Villa man is a striker, while the Elland Road star is an attacking midfielder, and should not be creating more xG as the England attacker.
Aaronson is not exactly a prolific player in front of goal, either, so that should make Emery think twice about selecting Watkins in the near future.
Villa cannot rely on Watkins anymore
It is clear after the new reveal that Emery and Co. cannot rely solely on the Three Lions ace to lead the line.
Watkins is creating less xG than an attacking midfielder that is not known for his exploits in front of goal, and he also has a conversion rate of just 8 per cent, per Sofascore.
Emery needs to call upon the likes of Donyell Malen and Evann Guessand to take some of the burden off the 29-year-old, as he clearly cannot handle the pressure right now.
He could even deploy Morgan Rogers or Harvey Elliott as a false nine, but he needs to do something different, as Watkins is not up to the task at the moment.
The longer that the former Brentford man is allowed to stay in the position, the harder it will be for the B6 outfit to achieve their ambitions.
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