Aston Villa

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

In-form Aston Villa take on a Leeds side who have lost four of their past five games. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Sunday's match.

Leeds return to Elland Road after back-to-back losses at Brighton and Nottingham Forest, having conceded three goals in each defeat. Under-pressure boss Daniel Farke told BBC Radio 5 Live this week that it has probably been his side's "poorest period of the season" , adding the Whites "have to show a bit of a reaction".

But the German manager also asked fans to see the bigger picture, telling Sky Sports "after we beat West Ham, people said survival was confirmed and now everyone is panicking about relegation".

This is the first game in a testing run of fixtures for Farke's team, with next weekend's trip to Manchester City followed by home matches against Chelsea and Liverpool.

Leeds have struggled away from home this term, claiming their only points in a 3-1 win at bottom side Wolves, but have lost just once at Elland Road.

However, goalscoring remains a major concern. Their tally of 10 goals is the joint-second lowest in the Premier League after 11 games, with poor finishing regularly letting them down.

They have converted just five of 22 'big chances', as classified by Opta, equivalent to 22.7%. The only Premier League side with a worse record this season are opponents Aston Villa.

Is Villa's resurgence sustainable?

Aston Villa failed to win any of their opening five league fixtures but have five victories in their subsequent six games, including a 4-0 triumph against Bournemouth last time out.

Manager Unai Emery hailed that performance as "really fantastic", praising his side's commitment, energy and connection with the home supporters.

A key feature of Villa's improvement has been goals from distance. Three of the goals against the Cherries came from outside the penalty area, taking their overall total to seven, the highest total in the Premier League.

The Villans also boast the league's highest shot conversion rate from outside the box (15.6%), a stark contrast to their figure of 8.1% for efforts inside the area, which is the lowest in the top flight.

While Villa's long-range purple patch has fuelled their revival, if it is to be sustainable they will need to create higher-quality chances closer to goal. Emery's side have managed 20 shots on target from inside the box this term, fewer than any other side.

That includes only four from Ollie Watkins, who scored 16 league goals last season but has netted just once so far.

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League will from next season move to a new system of Financial Fair Play (FFP) based on squad costs.

The clubs met in London on Friday to vote on three possible methods of replacing Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) got 14 votes in favour and six against, which is the minimum number that is required to exact a rule change.

Overall squad costs from next season will have to be limited to 85% of a club's revenue, although teams competing in Europe will have to adhere to Uefa's maximum of 70%.

Squad costs comprise player and manager wages, transfer fees and agents' fees.

Rules around sustainability, which set out a club's financial spending plans over the medium and long term, were passed unanimously.

Read more about the news and what it means here

Tasnim Chowdhury
BBC Sport journalist

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The Premier League has announced the start and end dates for the 2026-27 season.

The first round of fixtures will take place across the weekend of 22 August 2026 - a week later than previous seasons.

The later start allows rest time for players - 89 clear days from the end of this season, and 33 days from the 2026 World Cup final.

The Premier League said the delay was a "priority" for player welfare in an "increasingly congested global football calendar".

The final matches of the season will be played on Sunday, 30 May 2027, with all fixtures kicking off simultaneously as usual.

The season will end a week before the 2027 Champions League final, which will be on Saturday, 5 June.

There will be 33 weekend and five midweek fixtures - the same as the current season.

For the festive period, the Premier League have said no two match rounds will take place within 60 hours.

It has not been confirmed if there will be any fixtures on 24 December 2026.

However, as Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, the Premier League has said there will be more matches scheduled than this season, when there is only one.

Karan Vinod
BBC Sport journalist

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Leeds United at Elland Road (kick-off 14:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On team news: "The only player for Sunday to rule out is Tyrone Mings. Other players will train tomorrow, the last training session, and normally could be available. They [Ezri Kona, Matty Cash, and Amadou Onana] are training. Amadou is progressing well, and tomorrow we'll see how he's progressing."

• Emery also took a moment to acknowledge the international achievements within his squad, singling out John McGinn after the midfielder achieved World Cup qualification with Scotland. The Spaniard highlighted how "important it is for him and them", adding that he is "delighted" with how the international break unfolded for his players overall.

• On Ollie Watkins' injury: "We are trying to get him to normal every day, with training, sometimes resting. Especially when an individual player has this small problem - and of course, he's sometimes not feeling 100% fit to play - [it is important] to try to work intelligently... progressively trying to get him comfortable and with confidence to play, not feeling some pain, in good form and scoring goals."

• Emery was also asked about the prospect of experiencing a derby against Birmingham City, in the context of the revealed plans for a new 62,000-capacity stadium in the city, but he was keen to steer the discussion back to the immediate priorities of his team. He reiterated his focus on "trying to build" towards Villa's long-term objectives and internal progress rather than events involving their neighbours.

• On the trip to Leeds United: "We know it. How we are performing away is not in the balance, it is not in our balance. Of course, how we are competing and progressing has been really fantastic, but it's not enough. And away is our challenge because in the five matches we played away we have only won against Tottenham."

Hear more from Emery on BBC Sounds

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live commentary of Leeds v Aston Villa at 14:00 on Sunday on BBC Sounds

English attacking midfielder Harvey Elliott, who is currently on loan at Aston Villa, is the subject of interest from Bundesliga and Serie A clubs, with parent club Liverpool willing to sell the 22-year-old at a reduced price. (Football Insider, external)

Inter Milan are interested in signing Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, with Aston Villa ready to listen to offers for the 33-year-old. (Football Insider, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

One of potentially the biggest moments in English football is coming on Friday, but precious few people understand how important it could be or even know about it.

The Premier League is considering 'anchoring' wages, which would cap the amount any club could spend on their squad at five times the smallest central Premier League broadcasting and prize money payout.

It is a complex argument. The league and some clubs are considering it because they want to ensure wage inflation does not continue to rise endangering their long-term financial security. From the other side - the players and their union, the PFA - this unnaturally limits the amount they can earn in what has until now been a free and open market.

Any changes to that position foisted upon the players without their prior consultation and agreement will not go down well. Remember, the players are the people that the paying public, the TV companies and the advertisers want to see, not a bunch of chairmen, executives and directors arguing over accounts, dividends and profit margins.

The game has increased the number of games played per season without consulting those who are physically doing it. No studies on how that will affect their health in the short and long term were considered, and so the PFA in England looks like it is finally ready to take a strong stand for its members.

Strike ballots are not unknown, I should know, as chairman of the PFA my name was on the bottom of every ballot paper when we last considered strike action over changes in working conditions. The modern owners may have forgotten, but we had 99% backing from our members.

Owners may think of footballers as ultra wealthy, mercenary, thickos who can easily be controlled - well they thought that last time and they lost.

It is time for serious and meaningful negotiation between equals and not a master and serf attitude from one side towards the other.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

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As Aston Villa's internationals fly home, John McGinn must feel like he could float back by himself after Tuesday night.

It will not be long until Villa fans will no longer have to find other interests to fill their time though, with the team ready to play two games per week almost all the way up until March.

It is hard to imagine that Unai Emery used much of the break to binge-watch box-sets he had fallen behind on, even if concerns over Aston Villa's form had eased somewhat by the time they thrashed Bournemouth.

Emery and his staff will no doubt have analysed recent games very deeply, but I wonder if they have come to the same conclusions as The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell and Anantaajith Reghuraman earlier this week.

Their detailed survey, external of the data started from the premise that while winning games with a run of spectacular long-distance goals is good for the soul, it might mask a worrying lack of overall productivity.

They have a fair, if rather unromantic, point.

In the long run, the number of goals counts for more than style marks, although they also importantly note that while Aston Villa have found goals harder to score, they have become much tougher to score against.

Is this really just a long way of saying the season ultimately rests on whether Ollie Watkins starts scoring again or not?

"In Emery's mind, Watkins' downturn was a by-product of defects in structure and his team's build-up play," they wrote. "As opposed to him dropping off." So creating chances for him more often might be all he needs.

The analysis is fascinating, but ultimately there is only one way to find out.

Meanwhile, the cultural reference you didn't know you needed came from the Claret and Blue podcast's Mat Kendrick on Tuesday's Radio WM Football Phone-In, as he identified Emi Buendia as Villa's player of the season to date.

"Do you remember Scrappy-Doo, Scooby's sidekick?" Kendrick said. "Emi is like him - he has got a personality and bravery and energy that belies his small stature.

"The way he has come from nowhere to say: 'Forget Jadon Sancho and Harvey Elliott - I'm going to own this attacking space in Villa's team', I think is a credit to him."

Matt Jarvis - a team-mate of Buendia's at Norwich City - chimed in with his agreement: "That is exactly what he's like. He gets pushed, kicked, everything and he gives it back.

"He doesn't complain as he loves that side of the game. He is a top player and his attitude is spot on as well."

So, all aboard the Mystery Machine to Elland Road.

Listen to full commentary of Leeds United v Aston Villa at 14:00 GMT on Sunday on BBC Radio WM

And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights

Explore Aston Villa content on BBC Sounds

Emlyn Begley
BBC Sport journalist

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The Africa Cup of Nations kicks off earlier than usual this year, with up to 17 Premier League clubs set to be affected by players jetting off to host country Morocco.

The tournament runs from 21 December until 18 January.

There has been no official announcement about which date clubs will have to release their players by - and it could vary depending on agreements.

Players could miss up to six, or in some cases seven, Premier League matches - plus FA Cup and Carabao Cup games - if they reach the final.

The group stages end on 31 December, so quickly eliminated players may only miss half that amount.

Arsenal, Chelsea and Leeds do not have any players due to play in the 2025 Afcon - with Sunderland and Wolves losing the most players.

• Aston Villa - 1

• Bournemouth - 1

• Brentford - 2

• Brighton - 1

• Burnley - 3

• Crystal Palace - 1 to 4

• Everton - 2 to 3

• Fulham - 3

• Liverpool - 1

• Manchester City - 2

• Manchester United - 3

• Newcastle United - 0 to 1

• Nottingham Forest - 1 to 4

• Sunderland - 7

• Tottenham - 1 to 2

• West Ham United - 2

• Wolves - 5

Read the full article here to know which players will feature at Afcon

David Michael
Fan writer

Which player is flying?: Matty Cash. The one player that is playing above and beyond most fan's expectations for him this season. He's had some big moments in terms of goals and killer passes, along with tightening up the defensive side of his game.

Which player has disappointed and why?: Ollie Watkins. While he is a serial grafter and a big part of the team, as the only out-and-out striker in the squad, he will understandably be judged by his goal contributions. One goal and zero assists in the first 11 games is poor.

Tactically I think... Unai Emery has certainly tightened up as a team defensively. Initially it was compromising Villa's attacking intent, but in recent weeks, the team have got the balance right and are mixing it up more going forward.

I want my manager to give... the team a bit more room for expression. Unai Emery knows best, but in the pursuit of honing the details of positional football, sometimes players are curbed of their instinct and expression (that entertains supporters). That said, according to Opta, Villa became the first team to score five successive Premier League goals from outside the box since Tottenham in 2011. A sign of player rebellion or of leeway granted within Emery's quest for control?

Our fans seem obsessed with... the narrative that PSR is holding the team back, but they should be concerning themselves with what happens when Villa actually have spent money in recent windows.The latest summer transfer window was underwhelming to say the least. Probably Marco Bizot, Villa's back-up keeper, has been the only success. Was the reported £30m+ spend on Evann Guessand a wise move? And currently, the jury is very much out on the high-profile loan moves for Harvey Elliot and Jadon Sancho.

My expectations for the season... was European qualification, with the Europa League perhaps the best shot at upgrading to Champions League football again. While it still remains the best chance of silverware, the inconsistency of other top Premier League teams opens up a realistic chance of Villa fulfilling the objective in the league by finishing top five.

Score for the season so far: 7/10

One sentence on how you're feeling right now: I feel like the season is about to start for real and Villa's starting grid position is pretty good, considering their early subpar qualifying laps.

Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external

Over the past week, we have been asking you to send in the best Premier League XI your club could have put together.

We know football existed before 1992 but as a Leeds United fan asked our experts on the club to name theirs - using the Ask Me Anything form on the Whites - we stuck with their parameters.

Here's the effort of BBC Sport's Aston Villa fan writer David Michael, who only chose players with a minimum 100 Premier League matches in order to not be swayed by loan deals or short-term hits.

And you can ask us about Villa using their Ask Me Anything form at the top of this page or here

Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said, external

We have, roughly, run the numbers and here is the XI your submissions have produced.

Plenty of competition in defence for Aston Villa fans and that is why we've shunted Ezri Konsa out to right-back. In the centre, Olof Mellbery just edges out stalwart partner Martin Laursen.

In midfield, Jack Grealish makes most teams and will definitely have a more roaming brief than out wide.

Up front, Ollie Watkins' recent lack of goals does not stop him from joining Dwight Yorke to form a potent strikeforce.

Put Unai Emery or Martin O'Neill as boss and this team would likely be in the mix for the title.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The statistics might say playing at home is an advantage - but what happens when it is not?

So far this season, 53% of Premier League matches have been won by the home team - the highest ever rate in a single campaign.

On the flip side, just 26% have been won by the away team - the lowest rate since 2010-11.

However, this has not been the case for all teams.

For some, being on the road has been more favourable. Tottenham are perhaps the most contrasting example having the joint-most points away from home with 13, but the second-worst in front of their own fans with just five points.

In the second part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "With crowds when playing away from home, there is a reduced scrutiny as a whole for away teams in that those crowds expect the home team to be the ones in charge. The players feel less judged. The pressure is on the other side.

"Another reason could come down to something in psychology I like to call simplification of the task. The team has a better collective identity when they are away.

"The human brain still goes back to the cavemen days. We have to, as a collective, fight for something. We have to protect our name. It goes back to that hunter-gatherer-against-danger mentality.

"When players are in front of a home crowd, there can be a bit of playing up to the individuality.

"I really do believe that collective identity has a strong enough influence because it amplifies the purpose and the belonging - let's belong together, let's be stronger together."

The focus might be on the players' performances being impacted by being home or away, but what about the managers?

Wolves, West Ham and Nottingham Forest make up three of the bottom four for their home records so far this term, and all have changed their manager in recent weeks.

"100% managers and coaches can be affected, and sometimes even more so because there is so much riding on that one person," Cartwright said.

"The decision-making is the main thing. The crowd is chanting - 'take this player off, do this' - and it can lead to rushed decisions, particularly when the noise becomes relentless.

"Then there is the emotional regulation and touchline behaviour. A manager is pacing up and down, mirroring the stress state, and players see that. It can lead to mimicking and players feeling that stress too."

The impact on teams psychologically playing home or away is apparent, so how can they make the most from these different conditions?

"Our brains are wired to think negatively - it's a protection mechanism," Cartwright said.

"So when it comes to performing home and away, those players and managers who deal with it best are those who know how to use the noise and scrutiny and move on quickly from it - an ability to have a reset routine and regulate their emotions in these pressurised situations."

Read more from Marie in part one of her chat around the impact of playing at home here

Real Madrid are considering offers in the region of 20m euros (£17.69m) - from Sunderland, Aston Villa and Wolves for 21-year-old Spanish forward Gonzalo Garcia. (Fichajes), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

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"Home advantage gives you an advantage."

It is a quote - among many - attributed to the famous former England manager Sir Bobby Robson - a simple, yet fair reflection of a historical format of football.

For as long as teams have played in leagues, games taking place home and away has been the norm, with the idea that playing at home will be to the benefit of that team.

But what is the impact of playing at your own ground in front of your own fans?

In the first part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "Home impact can be viewed in two ways. Sometimes it does have a positive impact, and what happens is there is an elevated motivation.

"What that means is the crowd energy increases adrenaline and that creates a momentum in effort and intensity in the players. It is also a familiar environment for the players, so that means it reduces the cognitive load. They don't have to think as much about anything else other than their play because they know the pitch, they know the routines, they feel settled.

"However, there are a couple of potential negative impacts as well, with the potential intensification in pressure in the home fans, most times, expecting dominance from the home team. That can lead to mistakes from players feeling bigger to them.

"There can then be what we call a threat state. The players might perceive consequences as high, so they feel they might be facing more criticism when they are at home."

While those who watch football know there are more factors than just where the match is being to take into consideration, the statistics do suggest the influence is there.

Since the Premier League started, the home win percentage has outweighed the away win percentage in all bar one season - the Covid-hit 2020-21 campaign in which fans were largely not allowed admission saw a 38% home win rate compared to 40% away win rate.

So how a team handles this additional crowd pressure seems to be a key factor.

"In psychology, there is something called the challenge and threat theory," Cartwright said.

"In reality what that means is a 'challenge state' can push the player into thinking, 'I've got this, I've got the resources to cope with this'. That leads to better decision making and quicker reactions.

"The threat state, on the other hand, players might think the consequences outweigh their ability to cope. In any match context, that can mean they have a narrow sense of focus, the focus is not quite the same, so the play becomes slower because of overthinking."

"It can also be called 'red brain or blue brain' - with red brain being the one with fear-based dialogue and internal negative self-talk, while blue brain is the cool, calm and collected one that can handle its emotions.

"What sits in the middle of these is distraction. How a player responds to distraction and filters out the noise, like the crowd, can impact which of these mindsets they move into and ultimately how the team performs."

Read more from Marie in part two of her chat about why teams some teams play better away from home and how it impacts managers - that will be on this page early next week.

Here's another clutch of selections for your best Premier League XI.

See what you make of them.

Alex: 4-3-3. Martinez, Bouma, Konsa, Laursen, Mellberg, Barry, Milner, Rogers, Young, Benteke, Grealish. Started following in 2006. McGinn, Watkins, Mings, Digne, Friedel, Petrov, Delph would all be on the bench.

Nick: 4-2-3-1. Bosnich, Wright, McGrath, Mellberg, Delaney, Barry, Tielemans, Yorke, Grealish, Merson, Benteke. Bosnich for the penalty saves, Benteke for the goals and what a forward line that would be with Yorke on the right, Grealish on the left and Merson in the middle.

Helen: 4-3-3. Spink, Mellberg, McGrath, Konsa, Laursen, Petrov, McGinn, Rogers, Yorke, Watkins, Gray. A mixture of classic winning players with a modern twist of footballers that can win games as well as show leadership skills to dominate possession.

Paul: 4-4-2. Martinez, Delaney, Southgate, McGrath, Staunton, Milner, Barry, Townsend, Rogers, Yorke, Carew. Good balance of strengths, lots of character.

Steve: 3-5-2. Martinez, Mellberg, Barry, McGrath, Daley Petrov Rogers McGinn Wright, Angel, Yorke. Solid at the back, but attacking everywhere else. Might conceded a few goals but we'd score a lot more.

Mick: 4-4-2. Bosnich, Barratt, McGrath, Mellberg, Staunton, Townsend, McGinn, Young, Kamara, Dublin, Yorke. Aiming for balance not simply best XI - so no Barry, Milner, Southgate or Saunders.

George Mills
BBC Sport senior journalist

In a recent addition of the Football Extra newsletter, Roger asked BBC Sport: Players are frequently injured on international duty - such as Chris Wood for New Zealand last season, which may have ultimately cost Nottingham Forest a Champions League place. Are clubs compensated by the country or does insurance cover compensation?'

Since 2012, Fifa's Club Protection Programme has covered the salary of players injured on international duty - although there are some conditions.

Firstly, the player must be out of action for a period of at least 28 consecutive days and the injury must have been sustained during an "accident", which is defined in very boring and legally-specific detail in Fifa's guidelines, though it covers most of the examples you could think of.

The scheme pays the salary of an injured player up to the maximum amount of €7.5m (£6.6m) until they are declared fit to return for their clubs.

Transfermarkt lists Chris Wood as missing 18 days - three games - with the hip injury you mention from last March, suffered on international duty with New Zealand. As he returned inside 28 days, Forest would not have been eligible to claim compensation.

There are a couple of clubs who will currently be beneficiaries of this scheme though, including Newcastle United, whose £55m summer signing Yoane Wissa is yet to make an appearance since suffering a knee injury while playing for DR Congo.

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A fresh episode of The Wayne Rooney Show has landed and there's a raging debate on who should be on the plane for England to next summer's World Cup.

As part of the conversation, the panel dive into the form of Ollie Watkins and the credentials of Jack Grealish and Danny Welbeck.

"I'm surprised Watkins is not in this squad," says Rooney. "We have an opportunity where we don't need to see Harry Kane - give him a rest. This is where the manager should be saying - 'you are not with us, go and have a rest'."

Emile Heskey joins the podcast this week and there's also a nugget on Rooney setting a somewhat different example for a young Theo Walcott while on England duty.

Watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

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We asked for your views on who would be in your dream Aston Villa's Premier League XI?

Here are some of your comments:

Nick: 4-2-3-1. Martinez, Wright, Mellberg, McGrath, Konsa, Delaney, Barry, Kamara, Grealish, Yorke, Watkins. These are the best players in their positions I've seen, and Alan Wright is a legend.

Freya: 4-4-2. Martinez, Young, McGrath, Konsa, Milner, Grealish, Barry, Kamara, Tielemans, Watkins, Agbonlahor. Combination of Villa icons and players that have made history and broken records in recent years. I can remember iconic moments from most of the players and other names that are passed down to new generations in Villa households as legends.

Zee: 4-4-2. Bosnich, Young, McGrath, Mellberg, Konsa, Rogers, Kamara, Barry, Luiz, Benteke, Watkins. A mixture of old and new that would really gel together.

Josh: 4-2-3-1. Martinez, Mellberg, McGrath, Laursen, Bouma, Barry, Tielemans, Milner, Carbone, Young, Angel. Some memories shared with my dad growing up, pretending to be them at the park, to being able to watch a couple of them with my kids. It's more memories than actual ability.

David: 5-3-2. Martinez, Bouma, McGrath, Nielsen, Mellberg, Digne, Barry, Petrov, Rogers, Angel, Carew. Best keeper in the world, strong back five, creative and combative midfield, strength and guile up front.

Matt: 4-4-2. Schmeichel, Konsa, Mellberg, McGrath, Staunton, Taylor, Petrov, Barry, Grealish, Angel, Yorke. Players who would give their all for the cause, the badge and loved by the fans.

Mike Taylor
BBC Radio WM reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Ollie Watkins' omission from the England squad last week did not make too many headlines.

Many seemed to have taken for granted that a player who made such a fundamental contribution to England's last major tournament – scoring the winning goal in the semi-final no less – would not be required, and maybe not for the World Cup either.

Nothing personal, just maths: one goal plus no assists equals no place.

Fortunately, Thomas Tuchel offered a different explanation, noting that Watkins was "playing through discomfort", adding: "We then opted to give him this break to get treatment and to be back in full physical capacity and in best shape, and then fight for the place again in March."

That sounded reassuring.

Discomfort or not, Watkins showed up for work on Sunday against Bournemouth and got through most of the match as Villa romped to their most impressive result of the season so far.

He scored none of the goals himself though, which meant opinion on his performance was sharply divided.

The TV summariser Andy Reid selected Watkins as the man of the match, a choice both celebrated and mocked on social media, while the sub-headline on this website's match report read: "Watkins struggles".

His manager was, as always, at the front of the queue to speak up for Watkins. "He did a fantastic job," said Unai Emery.

"He played a fantastic match. Not scoring, but he is getting the performance through his work, how he opened the spaces for team-mates, how he was holding up the ball, and how he fought on the field. The goals are coming. His goals."

On BBC Radio WM, our Villa pundit Garry Thompson summed up the anxieties felt by a forward short of goals.

"Sometimes as a striker, you're waiting and trying to analyse, as opposed to just gambling and moving. Then, when the ball goes, you're that split-second behind. It happens with a lot of strikers. But I've got loads of faith in that fella.

"I believe Watkins will come back and will score goals. But you are judged as a striker on your goals."

In each of his five previous Villa seasons, Watkins has reached double figures for goals, and set up many more. Emery and many experts believe he will do so again.

But the curse of being a great team player, in an age where numbers shape the public perception more than ever, is that only goals against his name will convince his critics.

Where are you at with Watkins?

Will he rediscover his goalscoring form?

Choose your selection here

And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 GMT on weeknights

Explore Aston Villa content on BBC Sounds

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Five Premier League stadiums will host fixtures during Euro 2028.

Uefa have selected nine venues across the four host nations - England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland - to stage the 24-team tournament.

Manchester City's Etihad Stadium will host England's opening group game should Thomas Tuchel's side qualify for the competition directly.

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Villa Park, Hill Dickinson Stadium and St James' Park are the other Premier League grounds that will be used across the 51 matches overall.

The last-16 games will take place at each host stadium except Wembley, with England set to play at Newcastle United's St James' Park if they win their group, or Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium if they finish second.

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers is an injury doubt for England game against Serbia.

The 23-year-old was called up to Thomas Tuchel's squad for the the Three Lions' two remaining World Cup qualifiers, at home to Serbia on Thursday and in Albania on Sunday.

Rogers has been a regular recent feature for the national side, playing in all eight games and clocking up 460 minutes under Tuchel - including five starts, one goal and one assist.

However, his place in the side this week is now in doubt after Tuchel provided an update at his news conference and said: "We need to see because Morgan [Rogers] has a bit of a niggle around his hamstrings.

"Let's see how good he really feels and how responsible [it would be] to let him start. But the decision is not taken anyway and it will be taken tomorrow morning."

Rogers has featured in every match for Aston Villa this season, finding the net once and contributing three assists, and signed a new long-term deal with the club on Monday.

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa is hopeful "one day" he will "wear the armband" for both club and country after recently leading Unai Emery's side out against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League.

The 28-year-old has made 252 appearances for Aston Villa in all competitions and has 16 senior England caps to his name.

"It is a role that I want to do," Konsa told the media before England's World Cup qualifier against Serbia on Thursday night. "Recently, I've taken that responsibility for Aston Villa and I really enjoyed it.

"For me, as a defender, being a leader is really important. Who knows, maybe one day I will be able to wear the armband [permanently]."

When asked about his development in terms of making more interceptions, starting build-up play and taking time on the ball, Konsa said: "Working under Unai Emery over the last few seasons has been really important for me.

"I've looked at football differently because of the way he's wanted us to play. His style of play and my style of play has fitted amazingly. Working with him has been great for my growth.

"I'm 28 years old now and this is when they say you go into your prime, so I'm feeling really good.

"Since he has come in, I think I've managed to do what he has asked of me and I've managed to grow my game. I'm really enjoying working under him here and enjoying my football."