Troy Deeney claims he’s noticed something ‘weird’ after re-watching Ollie Watkins’ penalty vs Bologna

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Ollie Watkins changed his usual confident run-up just before missing an important penalty in Aston Villa’s Europa League win over Bologna this week, Troy Deeney believes.

Villa got their Europa League campaign off to a winning start thanks to John McGinn’s early strike at Villa Park on Thursday.

Unai Emery’s side secured their first win of the season by holding on to that lead, although the victory could have been easier had Watkins dispatched his second half penalty.

However, Lukasz Skorupski was equal to Watkins’ effort and his wait for a goal this season goes on. Coupled with Morgan Rogers’ slow start to the campaign, Villa’s sketchy form continues despite their first win.

Troy Deeney spots what Ollie Watkins did just before missing Aston Villa penalty

Speaking on TalkSport, Deeney said: “I think he’s tried to go safe down the middle and try to just get himself off the mark.

“The weird bit as well, I’ve just rewatched it there, is it’s the run up for me. He slows down right at the end.

“For anyone who plays golf, when you’re putting, when you’re in the rhythm, you’re just putting, like you’re just going for it. You’re not overthinking.

“No, he’s trying to just nudge it and follow it in. Unfortunately for him, he’s just going through a bad moment. The only slight bit of advice I would give him is that everyone goes through bad moments.”

Unai Emery backs Ollie Watkins to turn form around after Bologna penalty miss

Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery backed Watkins to rediscover his confidence and the goals will follow.

“He worked today like he is and this is the first step to recover his confidence,” Emery said. “Then he has a penalty and he created chances too. The most important is to recover the confidence and then do his task like he did today and then he will.”

Captain McGinn added: “He’s a top class striker. He’s not in the England squad for nothing. He’s shown over the years how good he is. If he’s not scoring, that’s fine.

“You’ve seen the effort he puts in for the team. We don’t need to put any pressure on him and add to any external noise. He’s been brilliant for us and has got nothing to prove to us.”