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Ollie Watkins is a Leading Man, Not an Understudy

Ollie Watkins
Ollie Watkins playing for Aston Villa (Ardfern, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

England rose to a new level at the 2024 Euros in Germany when they beat the Netherlands 2-1 on Wednesday.

The win moved Gareth Southgate’s team into Sunday’s final against Spain, though strangely are now second-favourites in a two-horse race having started the 24-nation tournament as market leaders.

England’s win came thanks to two things primarily; their much-improved first-half performance led by Phil Foden, and the late winner scored by substitute striker Ollie Watkins. Should we have seen Watkins much earlier though?

Don’t Lose Sight of the Importance of Strikers

Football is a simple game. That’s not to say the analysis and the sports science isn’t important, but we shouldn’t pat ourselves on the back for keeping tabs on all the complicated stuff while forgetting the simple things. Case in point; strikers win games.

Take the game back to its very roots. As kids, the non-player would go in goal, the not-so-good kids go in defence and the talented ones play up front. Ostensibly, that doesn’t change as we move right through the professional ranks.

Defence is important, of course. Stones, Walker, Guehi and Pickford were solid on Wednesday, but goals win games and titles.

Strikers are the stars. They are the leading men playing the strong, sexy role at the peak of their powers. At the moment however, England have Ryan Gosling on the bench while Robert De Niro is playing up front.

Argument for Watkins to be Starting

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is now 28. He’s not climbing up the ranks as a young striker, he is at his peak.

He is fit – he played 37 of Villa’s 38 Premier League games last season – and has outstanding stats in a tough league with 32 goal involvements recorded during the 2023-24 campaign.

Despite that, he has been given 29 minutes at the Euros. Let’s not even talk about Anthony Gordon, as that’s for another day.

Watkins is not only a goalscorer, but he knows his position and his duties. He doesn’t wander off without a reason.

Had he played on Wednesday in place of Harry Kane, he would have provided a focal point for Saka, Trippier, Bellingham and Foden to aim for and, in the latter’s case, to run around after he found his central position mojo in the first half.

Watkins’ finish at the end to win the game was world class. Could he have produced that move at Exeter? Yes. And at Brentford too. But doing in in the last minute of a European Championship semi-final against international class defenders takes not only skill, but also guts and nigh sociopathic calmness.

Indeed, it’s something he’s been doing against even better defenders all year in the Premier League.

Play Hardened Players Doing the Job Right Now

Though not everyone agrees, it’s fair to say in professional football there is just too much emphasis placed on experience and captaincy. Without being belligerent, we may as well play Shearer up front if that’s what we’re after.

Even with a hero like Harry Kane, and he has been exactly that, at some point there is simply a better footballing option when you’re trying to win games.

The writing really was on the wall as regards Kane’s abilities in the context of Wednesday night’s game, but perhaps also before.

The time was right for Spurs to let him go, always a sign, and overall, they didn’t suffer. Furthermore, while his stats are great in the Bundesliga and to be fair the Champions League, he is now playing against weaker defenders week-on-week.

Managers don’t pick potential stars from the Championship. They may believe in their talent, but they aren’t hardened having played against the best defenders.

That’s the case with Kane right now in Germany. He’s earned tons of respect, but Gareth Southgate should have known Watkins was a much better option earlier in the tournament, let alone earlier in the Netherlands game.

Have his substitutions been lucky? Maybe. They have got him out of trouble and it’s clear that we need to see Watkins much earlier in the final for England to be at their best.