Tonight`s Premiership Games.
- Thread starter r00fie1
- Start date
Norman_Conquest
Well-known member
As long as Everton remain in the bottom three.
r00fie1
Well-known member
Previews:
Wolves v Palace.
Leeds v Leicester.
With the fight for Premier League (PL) survival heading for a photo finish, Leeds United currently find themselves at the head of what might be a five-horse race in 16th place, since the bottom five clubs are only separated by as many points. They’ve done themselves no favours recently, after their 2-1 defeat to Fulham last time out made it three defeats on the trot for Javi Gracia’s side.
Usually a return to Elland Road would do the Whites a world of good, but they’ve waved the white flag at home recently after suffering heavy 5-1 and 6-1 defeats to Crystal Palace and Liverpool respectively. Nerves might be exacerbated when a desperate Leicester City pays them a visit then, especially with Leeds winning only one of the last nine H2Hs (D3, L5) and keeping only one clean sheet in that time.
Leicester aren’t one to speak when it comes to keeping clean sheets, as they remain the only club in Europe’s top-five leagues without a top-flight clean sheet since the World Cup! It’s now been 17 PL matches since their last shutout, but that didn’t stop them from breaking a ten-match competitive winless run (D1, L9) when beating Wolves 2-1 at the weekend to finally give them relief from the relegation zone as they climbed into the coveted 17th place.
Securing back-to-back wins will therefore see them leapfrog their hosts, as well as give them their second league double over Leeds this century after winning the reverse fixture 2-0 in October. The Foxes have either been the hunter or the hunted on the road this season though, as they’ve only drawn one away match, a league-low.
Players to watch: Leeds will be hoping Luis Sinisterra will put on a show at Elland Road, having scored eight of his last 11 club goals at home. Meanwhile, Leicester fans will be looking to Harvey Barnes to once again put on a show of his own against Leeds, after scoring in each of his last six appearances against them.
Hot stat: Twenty of Leeds’ PL matches this season have seen both teams score, a league-high.
www.flashscore.co.uk
Wolves v Palace.
Just three points separated Wolves and Crystal Palace in the bottom half of the Premier League table (PL) coming into this contest, and both have little more to play for than to confirm their place in next season’s competition. Although that is something to celebrate in both camps after each of the two sides were firmly embroiled in the relegation dogfight not long ago. Wolves’ form at home, which has seen them win three of their last four matches at Molineux (L1), has helped them establish a six-point buffer on the bottom three with only six rounds remaining.
However, manager Julen Lopetegui considered Saturday’s 2-1 away defeat to Leicester City an opportunity to refocus, stating post-match that “the most dangerous thought” is his side believing survival is already assured. Another three points would all but mathematically secure their PL football for another season, but collecting them immediately isn’t assured if H2H history - in which Palace have won the four most recent meetings - is to be considered.
That’s coincidentally Palace’s longest ever winning run against Wolves, and their form of late should give them the belief to extend it further even after being forced to settle for a 0-0 draw at home to a determined Everton side on Saturday. That result extended their unbeaten league run to four matches (W3, D1) under Roy Hodgson, their longest undefeated streak of this league campaign.
While fluid attacking displays were the standout trait from the first couple of games with Hodgson back in charge, clean sheets in Palace’s last two matches highlights that he has also helped instil defensive robustness in the group. Another shutout here would not only hand the Eagles a third in the league successively for the first time this season, but also a fourth from their last five competitive meetings with Wolves.
Players to watch: Wolves’ Rúben Neves returned from a two-match suspension against Leicester City after picking up ten yellow cards; only two PL players had received more coming into the round. He’d be wise to be careful around Palace’s Jordan Ayew who has drawn 69 fouls so far this season. Only teammate Wilfried Zaha had been fouled more often.
Hot streak: Wolves have won ‘to nil’ in each of their last nine competitive home games in which they scored the opening goal.
Villa v Fulham.
Talk of potential Champions League qualification had been growing across the previous week after Aston Villa’s incredible run of form (W5) leading into their disappointing 1-1 draw against Brentford. Their character certainly cannot be questioned after they rallied back late in the day to claim a point whilst extending their unbeaten run to nine games, with the Villans likely to secure European football in some capacity with the possibility of seventh place being enough.
A Villa Park return should provide a boost as none of the last four visiting sides have taken a point or even scored a goal here. In fact, Villa’s current run of four straight home wins without reply is an ongoing club record in the Premier League (PL), although the last time they achieved the same feat in the top-flight, they went on to lose the next game 6-2 back in 1983!
Marco Silva’s Fulham have spent the last couple of rounds piling more misery upon relegation-threatened sides Everton and Leeds (W2), a pair of victories which may have reignited the Cottagers’ slim hopes of a European finish. Those victories ended a five-game losing run for Fulham, although they’ll face a much sterner test of their credentials here at a venue where they’ve lost three of their last four visits.
Even so, Fulham may take confidence from the fact that the only top-six side they’ve beaten this season is Villa in the reverse H2H, although their overall PL record against such sides this season makes for bleak reading (W1, L8). In any case, one must be cautious to write the visitors off as only two sides have a stronger win rate as pre-match PL outsiders away from home than their 36% (W5, D2, L7).
Players to watch: Ollie Watkins registered the final goal of this corresponding fixture last season, and after a run of five goals across his last five appearances, he can set a personal best PL scoring season with one more goal. Harry Wilson has burst onto the scene by hitting his first two PL goals of the season across the last two rounds, whilst he has never lost when finding the net for Fulham (W10, D2).
Hot stat: Across the entire PL season, Fulham have conceded more away goals after the 75th minute (eight) than prior to half-time (seven).
However, manager Julen Lopetegui considered Saturday’s 2-1 away defeat to Leicester City an opportunity to refocus, stating post-match that “the most dangerous thought” is his side believing survival is already assured. Another three points would all but mathematically secure their PL football for another season, but collecting them immediately isn’t assured if H2H history - in which Palace have won the four most recent meetings - is to be considered.
That’s coincidentally Palace’s longest ever winning run against Wolves, and their form of late should give them the belief to extend it further even after being forced to settle for a 0-0 draw at home to a determined Everton side on Saturday. That result extended their unbeaten league run to four matches (W3, D1) under Roy Hodgson, their longest undefeated streak of this league campaign.
While fluid attacking displays were the standout trait from the first couple of games with Hodgson back in charge, clean sheets in Palace’s last two matches highlights that he has also helped instil defensive robustness in the group. Another shutout here would not only hand the Eagles a third in the league successively for the first time this season, but also a fourth from their last five competitive meetings with Wolves.
Players to watch: Wolves’ Rúben Neves returned from a two-match suspension against Leicester City after picking up ten yellow cards; only two PL players had received more coming into the round. He’d be wise to be careful around Palace’s Jordan Ayew who has drawn 69 fouls so far this season. Only teammate Wilfried Zaha had been fouled more often.
Hot streak: Wolves have won ‘to nil’ in each of their last nine competitive home games in which they scored the opening goal.
Villa v Fulham.
Talk of potential Champions League qualification had been growing across the previous week after Aston Villa’s incredible run of form (W5) leading into their disappointing 1-1 draw against Brentford. Their character certainly cannot be questioned after they rallied back late in the day to claim a point whilst extending their unbeaten run to nine games, with the Villans likely to secure European football in some capacity with the possibility of seventh place being enough.
A Villa Park return should provide a boost as none of the last four visiting sides have taken a point or even scored a goal here. In fact, Villa’s current run of four straight home wins without reply is an ongoing club record in the Premier League (PL), although the last time they achieved the same feat in the top-flight, they went on to lose the next game 6-2 back in 1983!
Marco Silva’s Fulham have spent the last couple of rounds piling more misery upon relegation-threatened sides Everton and Leeds (W2), a pair of victories which may have reignited the Cottagers’ slim hopes of a European finish. Those victories ended a five-game losing run for Fulham, although they’ll face a much sterner test of their credentials here at a venue where they’ve lost three of their last four visits.
Even so, Fulham may take confidence from the fact that the only top-six side they’ve beaten this season is Villa in the reverse H2H, although their overall PL record against such sides this season makes for bleak reading (W1, L8). In any case, one must be cautious to write the visitors off as only two sides have a stronger win rate as pre-match PL outsiders away from home than their 36% (W5, D2, L7).
Players to watch: Ollie Watkins registered the final goal of this corresponding fixture last season, and after a run of five goals across his last five appearances, he can set a personal best PL scoring season with one more goal. Harry Wilson has burst onto the scene by hitting his first two PL goals of the season across the last two rounds, whilst he has never lost when finding the net for Fulham (W10, D2).
Hot stat: Across the entire PL season, Fulham have conceded more away goals after the 75th minute (eight) than prior to half-time (seven).
Leeds v Leicester.
With the fight for Premier League (PL) survival heading for a photo finish, Leeds United currently find themselves at the head of what might be a five-horse race in 16th place, since the bottom five clubs are only separated by as many points. They’ve done themselves no favours recently, after their 2-1 defeat to Fulham last time out made it three defeats on the trot for Javi Gracia’s side.
Usually a return to Elland Road would do the Whites a world of good, but they’ve waved the white flag at home recently after suffering heavy 5-1 and 6-1 defeats to Crystal Palace and Liverpool respectively. Nerves might be exacerbated when a desperate Leicester City pays them a visit then, especially with Leeds winning only one of the last nine H2Hs (D3, L5) and keeping only one clean sheet in that time.
Leicester aren’t one to speak when it comes to keeping clean sheets, as they remain the only club in Europe’s top-five leagues without a top-flight clean sheet since the World Cup! It’s now been 17 PL matches since their last shutout, but that didn’t stop them from breaking a ten-match competitive winless run (D1, L9) when beating Wolves 2-1 at the weekend to finally give them relief from the relegation zone as they climbed into the coveted 17th place.
Securing back-to-back wins will therefore see them leapfrog their hosts, as well as give them their second league double over Leeds this century after winning the reverse fixture 2-0 in October. The Foxes have either been the hunter or the hunted on the road this season though, as they’ve only drawn one away match, a league-low.
Players to watch: Leeds will be hoping Luis Sinisterra will put on a show at Elland Road, having scored eight of his last 11 club goals at home. Meanwhile, Leicester fans will be looking to Harvey Barnes to once again put on a show of his own against Leeds, after scoring in each of his last six appearances against them.
Hot stat: Twenty of Leeds’ PL matches this season have seen both teams score, a league-high.
Premier League 2023/2024 scores, Football England - Flashscore.co.uk
Premier League 2023/2024 results on Flashscore.co.uk have all the latest Premier League 2023/2024 scores, tables, fixtures and match information.
www.flashscore.co.uk
Last edited:
r00fie1
Well-known member
Top Scorers:
Wolves.
Daniel Podence (6). Ruben Neves (5). Hwang Hee-Chan (3).
Palace:
Eberechi Ezi (7). Wilfried Zaha (6). Odsonne Edouard (6).
Villa:
Ollie Watkins (15). Danny Ings (7). Luiz / Bailey / Buendia (5).
Fulham:
Aleksandar Mitrovic (12). Andreas Pereira (5). Manor Solomon (5).
Leeds:
Rodrigo Moreno (13). Luis Sinisterra (6). Harrison / Bamford (5).
Leicester:
Harvey Barnes (10). James Maddison (9). Kelechi Iheanacho (8).
Wolves.
Daniel Podence (6). Ruben Neves (5). Hwang Hee-Chan (3).
Palace:
Eberechi Ezi (7). Wilfried Zaha (6). Odsonne Edouard (6).
Villa:
Ollie Watkins (15). Danny Ings (7). Luiz / Bailey / Buendia (5).
Fulham:
Aleksandar Mitrovic (12). Andreas Pereira (5). Manor Solomon (5).
Leeds:
Rodrigo Moreno (13). Luis Sinisterra (6). Harrison / Bamford (5).
Leicester:
Harvey Barnes (10). James Maddison (9). Kelechi Iheanacho (8).
Honey_Glazed_Sausages
Active member
Is that written by Chat GPT? Definitely doesn't sound human. Reads horrendous!Previews:
View attachment 56833
Wolves v Palace.
Just three points separated Wolves and Crystal Palace in the bottom half of the Premier League table (PL) coming into this contest, and both have little more to play for than to confirm their place in next season’s competition. Although that is something to celebrate in both camps after each of the two sides were firmly embroiled in the relegation dogfight not long ago. Wolves’ form at home, which has seen them win three of their last four matches at Molineux (L1), has helped them establish a six-point buffer on the bottom three with only six rounds remaining.
However, manager Julen Lopetegui considered Saturday’s 2-1 away defeat to Leicester City an opportunity to refocus, stating post-match that “the most dangerous thought” is his side believing survival is already assured. Another three points would all but mathematically secure their PL football for another season, but collecting them immediately isn’t assured if H2H history - in which Palace have won the four most recent meetings - is to be considered.
That’s coincidentally Palace’s longest ever winning run against Wolves, and their form of late should give them the belief to extend it further even after being forced to settle for a 0-0 draw at home to a determined Everton side on Saturday. That result extended their unbeaten league run to four matches (W3, D1) under Roy Hodgson, their longest undefeated streak of this league campaign.
While fluid attacking displays were the standout trait from the first couple of games with Hodgson back in charge, clean sheets in Palace’s last two matches highlights that he has also helped instil defensive robustness in the group. Another shutout here would not only hand the Eagles a third in the league successively for the first time this season, but also a fourth from their last five competitive meetings with Wolves.
Players to watch: Wolves’ Rúben Neves returned from a two-match suspension against Leicester City after picking up ten yellow cards; only two PL players had received more coming into the round. He’d be wise to be careful around Palace’s Jordan Ayew who has drawn 69 fouls so far this season. Only teammate Wilfried Zaha had been fouled more often.
Hot streak: Wolves have won ‘to nil’ in each of their last nine competitive home games in which they scored the opening goal.
View attachment 56834
Villa v Fulham.
Talk of potential Champions League qualification had been growing across the previous week after Aston Villa’s incredible run of form (W5) leading into their disappointing 1-1 draw against Brentford. Their character certainly cannot be questioned after they rallied back late in the day to claim a point whilst extending their unbeaten run to nine games, with the Villans likely to secure European football in some capacity with the possibility of seventh place being enough.
A Villa Park return should provide a boost as none of the last four visiting sides have taken a point or even scored a goal here. In fact, Villa’s current run of four straight home wins without reply is an ongoing club record in the Premier League (PL), although the last time they achieved the same feat in the top-flight, they went on to lose the next game 6-2 back in 1983!
Marco Silva’s Fulham have spent the last couple of rounds piling more misery upon relegation-threatened sides Everton and Leeds (W2), a pair of victories which may have reignited the Cottagers’ slim hopes of a European finish. Those victories ended a five-game losing run for Fulham, although they’ll face a much sterner test of their credentials here at a venue where they’ve lost three of their last four visits.
Even so, Fulham may take confidence from the fact that the only top-six side they’ve beaten this season is Villa in the reverse H2H, although their overall PL record against such sides this season makes for bleak reading (W1, L8). In any case, one must be cautious to write the visitors off as only two sides have a stronger win rate as pre-match PL outsiders away from home than their 36% (W5, D2, L7).
Players to watch: Ollie Watkins registered the final goal of this corresponding fixture last season, and after a run of five goals across his last five appearances, he can set a personal best PL scoring season with one more goal. Harry Wilson has burst onto the scene by hitting his first two PL goals of the season across the last two rounds, whilst he has never lost when finding the net for Fulham (W10, D2).
Hot stat: Across the entire PL season, Fulham have conceded more away goals after the 75th minute (eight) than prior to half-time (seven).
View attachment 56835
Leeds v Leicester.
With the fight for Premier League (PL) survival heading for a photo finish, Leeds United currently find themselves at the head of what might be a five-horse race in 16th place, since the bottom five clubs are only separated by as many points. They’ve done themselves no favours recently, after their 2-1 defeat to Fulham last time out made it three defeats on the trot for Javi Gracia’s side.
Usually a return to Elland Road would do the Whites a world of good, but they’ve waved the white flag at home recently after suffering heavy 5-1 and 6-1 defeats to Crystal Palace and Liverpool respectively. Nerves might be exacerbated when a desperate Leicester City pays them a visit then, especially with Leeds winning only one of the last nine H2Hs (D3, L5) and keeping only one clean sheet in that time.
Leicester aren’t one to speak when it comes to keeping clean sheets, as they remain the only club in Europe’s top-five leagues without a top-flight clean sheet since the World Cup! It’s now been 17 PL matches since their last shutout, but that didn’t stop them from breaking a ten-match competitive winless run (D1, L9) when beating Wolves 2-1 at the weekend to finally give them relief from the relegation zone as they climbed into the coveted 17th place.
Securing back-to-back wins will therefore see them leapfrog their hosts, as well as give them their second league double over Leeds this century after winning the reverse fixture 2-0 in October. The Foxes have either been the hunter or the hunted on the road this season though, as they’ve only drawn one away match, a league-low.
Players to watch: Leeds will be hoping Luis Sinisterra will put on a show at Elland Road, having scored eight of his last 11 club goals at home. Meanwhile, Leicester fans will be looking to Harvey Barnes to once again put on a show of his own against Leeds, after scoring in each of his last six appearances against them.
Hot stat: Twenty of Leeds’ PL matches this season have seen both teams score, a league-high.
Premier League 2023/2024 scores, Football England - Flashscore.co.uk
Premier League 2023/2024 results on Flashscore.co.uk have all the latest Premier League 2023/2024 scores, tables, fixtures and match information.
r00fie1
Well-known member
Hi chap. Havent the foggiest what Chat GPT is?
Its from this site:
Premier League 2023/2024 scores, Football England - Flashscore.co.uk
Premier League 2023/2024 results on Flashscore.co.uk have all the latest Premier League 2023/2024 scores, tables, fixtures and match information.
www.flashscore.co.uk
Honey_Glazed_Sausages
Active member
That new AI thingy where a computer gives you essays and stuff. I used it to break up with someone via text. Very handy indeedHi chap. Havent the foggiest what Chat GPT is?
Its from this site:
Premier League 2023/2024 scores, Football England - Flashscore.co.uk
Premier League 2023/2024 results on Flashscore.co.uk have all the latest Premier League 2023/2024 scores, tables, fixtures and match information.
r00fie1
Well-known member
City after the win against Wolves on Saturday:
Dean Smith:
Matchday With The Manager – Show Our Capabilities Again
Dean Smith is keen to continue the form which saw Leicester City collect their first Premier League three points since mid-February at the weekend.
www.lcfc.com
r00fie1
Well-known member
Nah.
I agree - the grammar and text presentation is "poor".
I would normally break up the text with photographs and other illustrations - but its too much effort for a general thread. I use that site as a filler. My budgie could probably generate a better script, even though I dont have a budgie.
r00fie1
Well-known member
Ollie Watkins personifies Aston Villa’s dramatic revival under Unai Emery
He has been involved in 14 goals in 2023, scoring 11 and setting up three as Villa have rocketed up the Premier League table
With so much focus on Brighton and Brentford this season, Aston Villa have crept quietly into the European places. The decision to sack Steven Gerrard and appoint Unai Emery as his successor has proven a masterstroke, with their resounding 3-0 win over Newcastle at the weekend even fuelling talk of a dramatic late surge for a top-four finish. It was their fifth win in a row – their best run in the Premier League since they did the same under John Gregory towards the end of the 1997-98 season.
Gregory took charge of Villa midway through that season and guided them to Europe. Emery might do the same. The Spaniard took the job at the start of November when the club sat 16th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone. Villa were at real risk of dropping back into the Championship even though they had invested £60m on Leander Dendoncker, Boubacar Kamara, Diego Carlos and Philippe Coutinho over the summer. Gerrard was unable to build a coherent team and they won just two of their first 11 matches.
The team has taken off under Emery, scoring in all 20 of his games go far. Striker Ollie Watkins epitomises their renaissance. Watkins struggled at the start of the season, scoring just two league goals prior to Emery’s appointment. Having reached double figures for league goals in his first two seasons at Villa, scoring 14 under Dean Smith in 2020-21 and 11 last season as Gerrard took charge, it was a disappointing slump for the 27-year-old.
Watkins is now unstoppable. He was directly involved in all three goals against Newcastle on Saturday, setting up Jacob Ramsey for the opener and scoring twice himself. It was an outstanding performance, but it was hardly a surprise. Watkins has either scored or set up a goal in 11 of his last 12 games. With 11 goals and three assists this year, he has been directly involved in 14 league goals in 2023 – more than any other player in the Premier League, even Erling Haaland.
So what has changed under Emery? The big difference has been the faith the Spaniard has shown in Watkins. In 2021, Villa signed Danny Ings from Southampton for £25m, giving the club two quality options up front. Ings was the fox in the box, whereas Watkins tended to pull to the flanks. However, Emery was happy to let Ings join West Ham in January, making Watkins his main man. Being picked as the club’s leading striker by a manager of Emery’s standing has boosted Watkins’ confidence and inspired him.
Emery has also tweaked his role in the team, demanding that Watkins expend his energy more productively. “I’m being smart with my runs,” he said last week. “Before I was running into the channels and into the corners, and doing a lot of work for the team. Now I’m staying within the width of the box and timing my runs.”
Ollie Watkins and Emi Buendía have worked well together this season.
Photograph: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images
By playing more centrally and conserving his energy, Watkins is now more productive. He is now taking 2.9 shots per 90 minutes, up from 2.2 before Emery arrived at Villa Park. Watkins sees less of the ball – his touches per 90 minutes have dropped from 34.5 to 27.6 – but he has more of an impact when he does receive possession. Crucially, he is touching the ball more often inside the box, up from 4.8 per 90 minutes to 5.7, and he is scoring a lot more goals.
Playing in front of Emiliano Buendía and Jacob Ramsey has benefited Watkins, with the two support acts providing ammunition for the striker. Between them they have set up 40 chances for Villa under Emery, with Watkins often on the receiving end – only Harry Kane (51) and Erling Haaland (48) have had more shots on target than Watkins (43) in the league this season.
Now that Watkins is playing more centrally, his finishing has improved. Of the 63 players in the league who have taken more than 20 shots since Emery arrived at Villa, only Erling Haaland (30.6%) has a better conversion rate than Watkins (26.1% – up by 7.4% under the new manager).
Gregory took charge of Villa midway through that season and guided them to Europe. Emery might do the same. The Spaniard took the job at the start of November when the club sat 16th in the Premier League, just one point above the relegation zone. Villa were at real risk of dropping back into the Championship even though they had invested £60m on Leander Dendoncker, Boubacar Kamara, Diego Carlos and Philippe Coutinho over the summer. Gerrard was unable to build a coherent team and they won just two of their first 11 matches.
The team has taken off under Emery, scoring in all 20 of his games go far. Striker Ollie Watkins epitomises their renaissance. Watkins struggled at the start of the season, scoring just two league goals prior to Emery’s appointment. Having reached double figures for league goals in his first two seasons at Villa, scoring 14 under Dean Smith in 2020-21 and 11 last season as Gerrard took charge, it was a disappointing slump for the 27-year-old.
Watkins is now unstoppable. He was directly involved in all three goals against Newcastle on Saturday, setting up Jacob Ramsey for the opener and scoring twice himself. It was an outstanding performance, but it was hardly a surprise. Watkins has either scored or set up a goal in 11 of his last 12 games. With 11 goals and three assists this year, he has been directly involved in 14 league goals in 2023 – more than any other player in the Premier League, even Erling Haaland.
So what has changed under Emery? The big difference has been the faith the Spaniard has shown in Watkins. In 2021, Villa signed Danny Ings from Southampton for £25m, giving the club two quality options up front. Ings was the fox in the box, whereas Watkins tended to pull to the flanks. However, Emery was happy to let Ings join West Ham in January, making Watkins his main man. Being picked as the club’s leading striker by a manager of Emery’s standing has boosted Watkins’ confidence and inspired him.
Emery has also tweaked his role in the team, demanding that Watkins expend his energy more productively. “I’m being smart with my runs,” he said last week. “Before I was running into the channels and into the corners, and doing a lot of work for the team. Now I’m staying within the width of the box and timing my runs.”
Ollie Watkins and Emi Buendía have worked well together this season.
Photograph: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images
By playing more centrally and conserving his energy, Watkins is now more productive. He is now taking 2.9 shots per 90 minutes, up from 2.2 before Emery arrived at Villa Park. Watkins sees less of the ball – his touches per 90 minutes have dropped from 34.5 to 27.6 – but he has more of an impact when he does receive possession. Crucially, he is touching the ball more often inside the box, up from 4.8 per 90 minutes to 5.7, and he is scoring a lot more goals.
Playing in front of Emiliano Buendía and Jacob Ramsey has benefited Watkins, with the two support acts providing ammunition for the striker. Between them they have set up 40 chances for Villa under Emery, with Watkins often on the receiving end – only Harry Kane (51) and Erling Haaland (48) have had more shots on target than Watkins (43) in the league this season.
Now that Watkins is playing more centrally, his finishing has improved. Of the 63 players in the league who have taken more than 20 shots since Emery arrived at Villa, only Erling Haaland (30.6%) has a better conversion rate than Watkins (26.1% – up by 7.4% under the new manager).
The new approach is working for the team. Only Arsenal (43) and Manchester City (41) have collected more points than Villa (38) since Emery arrived in Birmingham. Watkins’ poor form was a clear indication of how underwhelming Villa were at the start of the season; and his blistering form in the last few months sums up their improvement under Emery.
Watkins is not the only player who has upped his game, but he is the poster-boy for Villa’s upturn in fortunes. He is their top scorer with 14 goals and also has more assists (six) than any of his teammates. He has adapted his new role on the frontline with ease and is scoring at a rate few could have imagined earlier in the season. If he maintains his current form, Villa fans may start dreaming of a very special season. They have not played in Europe for more than a decade and their last appearance in the European Cup was 40 years ago, when they qualified as reigning champions. Villa are still six points behind fourth-placed Newcastle but they are the form team in the league.
www.theguardian.com
Watkins is not the only player who has upped his game, but he is the poster-boy for Villa’s upturn in fortunes. He is their top scorer with 14 goals and also has more assists (six) than any of his teammates. He has adapted his new role on the frontline with ease and is scoring at a rate few could have imagined earlier in the season. If he maintains his current form, Villa fans may start dreaming of a very special season. They have not played in Europe for more than a decade and their last appearance in the European Cup was 40 years ago, when they qualified as reigning champions. Villa are still six points behind fourth-placed Newcastle but they are the form team in the league.
Ollie Watkins personifies Aston Villa’s dramatic revival under Unai Emery
He has been involved in 14 goals in 2023, scoring 11 and setting up three as Villa have rocketed up the Premier League table
www.theguardian.com
r00fie1
Well-known member
Stewy Downing reckons its between Leeds and Everton for the final drop slot.
Javi Gracia's side picked up important wins over struggling Southampton, Wolves and Forest, which saw them move away from the bottom three. Nonetheless, a dismal run has seen them slip back into the relegation fight.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, Downing said: "I actually live in Wetherby where Bielsa lived and you'd see him walk round the street and he was like God to them. A lot of fans were saying they'd rather get relegated with him than bring someone else in and have a go which is a crazy thing to say.
"It just proves how big of a figure he was at the club and how much he changed it. That style was Kamikaze at times but great to watch.
"I just think if they go with that style and they get relegated I think fans would be happy. At the minute, they're caught in between, do we sort the defence out or sort the attack and that's very hard to change with ten or so games when he [Gracia] comes in to do that.
"It could take a season or two to change a style of play with players who are so used to running and pressing. So yeah, their run at this point is not at a great time.
"I think whoever stays up, it won't be because of their own doing I think it'll be because teams are poorer than them - like Everton who can't score goals. Every week I'm changing my mind, Leeds will stay up, Leeds will go down, Leicester will go down, now they'll stay up.
"I just think there's something about Leicester and teams like that where they'll get over the line, whereas Everton and Leeds I think it's probably a toss up between those two."
www.leeds-live.co.uk
Leeds United's 'Kamikaze approach' means it is between them and Everton for final relegation spot
Former Liverpool and Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing believes it's between Leeds United and Everton in the final relegation spot this season. The Whites have conceded 18 goals in just five games for the month of April, picking up just one win in that time - a 2-1 victory over fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest.Javi Gracia's side picked up important wins over struggling Southampton, Wolves and Forest, which saw them move away from the bottom three. Nonetheless, a dismal run has seen them slip back into the relegation fight.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, Downing said: "I actually live in Wetherby where Bielsa lived and you'd see him walk round the street and he was like God to them. A lot of fans were saying they'd rather get relegated with him than bring someone else in and have a go which is a crazy thing to say.
"It just proves how big of a figure he was at the club and how much he changed it. That style was Kamikaze at times but great to watch.
"I just think if they go with that style and they get relegated I think fans would be happy. At the minute, they're caught in between, do we sort the defence out or sort the attack and that's very hard to change with ten or so games when he [Gracia] comes in to do that.
"It could take a season or two to change a style of play with players who are so used to running and pressing. So yeah, their run at this point is not at a great time.
"I think whoever stays up, it won't be because of their own doing I think it'll be because teams are poorer than them - like Everton who can't score goals. Every week I'm changing my mind, Leeds will stay up, Leeds will go down, Leicester will go down, now they'll stay up.
"I just think there's something about Leicester and teams like that where they'll get over the line, whereas Everton and Leeds I think it's probably a toss up between those two."
Downing says it's between Leeds United and Everton for the final relegation spot
Javi Gracia looked to have shored up the Leeds United defence but have endured a torrid month of April
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Norman_Conquest
Well-known member
What a goal, he certainly hit that.
Norman_Conquest
Well-known member
What a disallowed goal - cracking goal but the right decision. Leeds can breathe again.
