Unai Emery has confirmed he will change his tactics to allow Jhon Duran to play alongside Ollie Watkins with both strikers in good form.
Watkins is Aston Villa’s main man and has started all five Premier League games for the club after scoring 19 goals in the league last season.
The England international has started the season well and already has three goals in five games, but he’s been somewhat upstaged by Duran, who has given Emery a selection headache.
Emery to change tactics to accommodate Watkins and Duran
Duran has started the season in superb form and has four goals in five games and also scored against Wycombe in the Carabao Cup.
The Colombia international reportedly wanted to leave the club this summer and was strongly linked with moves to Chelsea and West Ham, but an exit from Villa Park failed to materialize.
Duran staying is very much Villa’s gain given the form he’s in, but at some point he will certainly be thinking that he deserves to be starting in the Premier League.
Villa fans would likely love to see the pair play together to see how it works, and Emery seemed to confirm that he would be prepared to change his tactics so the duo can play alongside one another.
“He’s evolving and focusing like I want. He’s playing with his impact being very well. Playing like he did on Tuesday in a Carabao Cup in 90 minutes, he played fantastic,” he told reporters.
“It’s my challenge to try to get the best of him, playing as a striker, playing with Ollie Watkins. The idea is they will play more together.
“Now, like we are in the squad with our structure tactically, for players like him I think it’s the best thing we can feel and we will get good performances individually and collectively.”
The thought of a Watkins and Duran front two is something that would strike fear into opposition defenders, but Emery will need to find the right balance to accommodate the pair.
It would certainly offer Villa a different option and it will be interesting to see how they do alongside one another and if a partnership forms.
