Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has opened up about his career, sharing an insight into one choice he made during the 2022/23 season.
Where would Aston Villa be without Ollie Watkins?
The striker contributed to 32 goals over the 2023/24 campaign for Villa, firing the club back to the Champions League.
Unai Emery has found great joy in having the Englishman fit and firing in his side however, so much has gone on behind the scenes for the player to ensure such levels are being met.
READ MORE: Where Aston Villa would have finished in the Premier League without Ollie Watkins last season
Ollie Watkins reveals key decision he made before Unai Emery arrived at Aston Villa
Following on from his remarkable form last season at Villa, Watkins spoke on The High Performance Podcast about his rise from Non-League to the Champions League.
During the podcast, host Jake Humphrey relayed that one of the Villa striker’s former coaches had described him as a player that ‘lacks belief at times’.
As seen over the past few seasons, Watkins doesn’t come across as that person in claret and blue, with the 28-year-old attributing his switch in mentality to hiring a life coach.
“I speak to a life coach who has definitely helped me and I think the mind is the most powerful thing, people train every day physically in the gym but it takes a lot to change your mindset.”
The most interesting part of the admission was the timing in which Watkins sought advice from a life coach.
“It was just before the boss came in, before Emery came in.”
Watkins’ change in mindset is clear
Watkins’ game has transformed since the arrival of Emery, which we now know coincides with the arrival of his life coach.
There has been a significant shift in the Englishman’s potency, with his ability always known, but his limits now extending as a result of his approach to play.
During the 2021/22 season, the year prior to Emery’s Premier League return, the striker netted 11 goals and claimed just two assists for Villa, via Sofascore, numbers that have skyrocketed since.
The following term in 2022/23, the talisman scored 15 goals and contributed to six assists, as the playmaking aspects of his game started to come to light.
The 2023/24 season showed something of an almost-finished article, as Watkins announced himself as one of the Premier League’s best, scoring 19 and assisting a league-best 13 goals.
Watkins’ quality has not improved, it was always there, his approach to games can be considered different, with an almost animalistic presence in the final third now evident.
Whether that be as a result of his life coach or the manager, or both, the striker deserves all the credit for his remarkable transformation at Villa over the years.
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