Aston Villa began their Champions League campaign in fine style on Tuesday night, though a worrying update emerged concerning star striker, Ollie Watkins.
The England international wasn’t on the scoresheet during the fixture in Switzerland, though surely would’ve been delighted with the team’s performance after they ended as 3-0 victors.
Youri Tielemans, Jacob Ramsey and Amadou Onana were all on the score sheet, with Jhon Duran denied another goal thanks to a VAR intervention because of a handball earlier in the move.
Ollie Watkins worry emerges
Unai Emery can’t have failed to have been well pleased with the result, particularly as their next fixture in the competition is a rematch of the 1982 final against Bayern Munich.
The Bavarians currently top the table in the new format of the competition after hammering Dinamo Zagreb 9-2, with Harry Kane bagging four.
Emery will want to ensure that Watkins is fit and firing for that game at Villa Park, though Football Insider note how TV pictures showed the attacker with an ice pack wrapped around his leg after being taken off during the game against Young Boys.
Although the striker is a vital component for the club, they can’t afford to take any chances on his fitness.
A long, hard season beckons, and trying to rush him back too quickly could have precisely the opposite effect to what Villa want.
Although Watkins didn’t seem in any real pain and was likely taken off as a precaution, there’s still a fine line for Villa to tread over the coming days.
As Newcastle found out to their detriment last season, the added workload that a Champions League campaign brings must be managed effectively.
If not, Villa could find themselves in the same position as the Magpies did with multiple longer-term injuries that will affect their Premier League placing as a result.
Top photo by Sebastien Bozon / AFP
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