What has happened to Watkins and Pope? But Garner is shining
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Analysis Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins and Newcastle's Nick Pope suffering poor form but James Garner stars for Everton Ollie Watkins' poor form is becoming a problem for Aston Villa. Is it a temporary dip or something more? | Also in The Debrief: Nick Pope's shot-stopping under scrutiny now as well as his kicking and Everton's James Garner makes late World Cup push Adam Bate Football Features Writer @ghostgoal Monday 2 March 2026 11:41, UK Welcome to The Debrief , a Sky Sports column in which Adam Bate uses a blend of data and opinion to reflect on some of the key stories from the latest Premier League matches. This week: Watkins' numbers becoming a concern Pope's shot-stopping under scrutiny Why Garner is now Everton's key man What's happened to Watkins at Villa? Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Highlights from Wolves’ match against Aston Villa in the Premier League Given that Aston Villa were, Unai Emery has now admitted, in a Premier League title race until a month ago, it is perhaps surprising to note that their centre-forward Ollie Watkins is having his most difficult season since joining the club almost six years ago. Watkins had a decent chance to give Villa a first-half lead at Wolves but was unable to get his shot away quickly enough after being put through on goal. Emery's out-of-form side went on to lose 2-0 to the bottom club and have now dropped to fourth in the table. Calls for Tammy Abraham to start are growing. Watkins has scored only once in his last 11 appearances. He might point to the absence of Youri Tielemans' passes but his problems are twofold. His finishing levels have dipped and his dynamic movement is down too. Throughout his five previous seasons at Villa, Watkins' goal tally had tracked his expected goals numbers consistently. He had scored 75 Premier League goals with an expected goals figure of 75.11. An average of 0.44 goals per 90 minutes on both metrics in that time. Datawrapper This content is provided by...
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