Ollie Watkins’ wait for his first goal of the season continued on Thursday as he missed a second-half penalty during Aston Villa’s UEFA Europa League victory over Bologna. Although Unai Emery’s team finally claimed their first win of the campaign, the striker’s barren run in front of goal shows no signs of ending.
Villa took an early lead through John McGinn’s composed finish, and despite heavy pressure from the Italian side, they managed to protect their advantage and secure a 1-0 win — their first in seven outings. Watkins, however, saw his best chance to end his goalless streak go begging when his tame penalty was comfortably saved by the goalkeeper.
“Just wasn’t a confident penalty,” Robbie Savage said following Watkins’ spot-kick miss on TNT Sports commentary.
“It’s a poor penalty, no confidence at all. Big moment, the frustration will go on.”
Emery Confident Goals Will Follow
Even though Watkins’ missed opportunity could have sealed the game, manager Unai Emery remains convinced that his striker’s form will soon return. The Spaniard praised Watkins’ overall display and suggested that rebuilding his self-belief is the key to rediscovering his scoring touch.
“He worked today like he is, and this is the first step to recover his confidence,” Emery said, speaking to TNT Sports.
“Then he has a penalty and he created chances too. The most important [thing] is to recover the confidence and then do his task like he did today, and then he will.”
McGinn and Pundits Defend Striker’s Quality
Captain John McGinn was quick to defend Watkins after the match, insisting that a temporary dip in form does not diminish his quality. He emphasized that the forward’s contribution goes far beyond goals and urged against adding pressure.
“Ollie’s a top-class striker,” McGinn told TNT Sports. “He’s not in the England squad for nothing. He’s shown over the years here how good of a striker he is, and if he’s not scoring, that’s fine.”
“You see the effort he puts in for the team. We don’t need to put any pressure on Ollie, we don’t need to add to any external noise. He’s been brilliant to us, and he’s got nothing to prove to us.”
Former Manchester United star Owen Hargreaves echoed that sentiment, stating that Watkins’ scoring instincts will inevitably return with time and confidence.
“Watkins will be annoyed,” the TNT Sports expert said. “I think he should just hit it with conviction. He is going through a bit of a dry spell and he will get chances and he will score goals. When confidence is down, it is hard as a player. But he is too good to not turn this around.”
Watkins has consistently been among Villa’s most reliable attackers in recent seasons. He scored 27 goals across all competitions in 2023/24 and followed it up with 17 the following year, registering double-digit goals in five straight league campaigns. With a record of 87 goals in 230 appearances for Villa and five for England, both teammates and pundits remain confident that it’s only a matter of time before he finds the back of the net again.
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