Why moving Ollie Watkins from winger to centre-forward was inspired, if unplanned
It’s rare for a player to do what Ollie Watkins has done. In 2019/20, his first full campaign as a centre-forward for Brentford, he scored 25 goals in 46 games.
There’s usually a sort of transitional period but Watkins looked right at home leading the line. The 24-year-old may have called Griffin Park home for three seasons but the first two campaigns with the Bees showed no indication that he was capable of this sort of output.
In his first two years with the club, Watkins netted 20 times in the Championship, hitting double figures both times. It was a decent return for a wide forward, and it appeared to be sustainable. His goals per 90 average was 0.24 while his expected goals average was 0.27.
After the sale of Neal Maupay to Brighton, Watkins was tasked with the goalscoring responsibility for Thomas Frank’s side. Maupay scored 25 times in his final season with the club. The former Nice youngster was responsible for 36 per cent of Brentford’s league goals. It was going to be a big ask for Watkins to more than double his output.
Fast forward 12 months and it looks like an inspired decision. However, it wasn’t planned. It was by chance that the former Exeter man was deployed centrally.
“Brentford tried to sign strikers and it fell through, but everything happens for a reason and I was obviously meant to play this season upfront. I’m glad I’ve got the opportunity and I’m really enjoying it. I was really close to Dean [Smith], he had great faith in me. He always thought I’d end up as a No 9. This season, everyone was doubting whether I could score that many goals but I back myself: if you get a chance every other game, you are going to score at least 20 goals.”
In the end, Watkins scored 30 per cent of Brentford’s goals. His goal return shot up to 0.50 per 90 while his expected goals average was 0.49, despite averaging fewer shots. It goes to show that quality trumps quantity.
Watkins’ idol growing up was Thierry Henry. The legendary Frenchman also underwent a transformation from explosive wide player to clinical centre-forward. And Watkins has followed in his footsteps.
In fact, he’s arguably the ideal, modern-day No.9, as shown by his passes received and movements map above. He runs the channels and drops deep to link with his midfield. He creates space for Bryan Mbeumo and Saïd Benrahma to exploit, too.
Watkins has scored every goal imaginable this season. He’s showcased his fox in the box tendencies on multiple occasions – a perfect example of this was during Brentford’s 3-1 win over Derby County. He backed up the play and when Bryan Mbeumo’s effort cannoned back off the post, Watkins was there to score the rebound from three yards out.
Compare that to his stunning strike against Blackburn Rovers and it’s easy to understand why he’s been so prolific this season. A ball was clipped over the top from a deep area, the Brentford No.11 brought it down on his chest, before unleashing a stunning right-footed half volley from the edge of the area. It was eerily similar to Fernando Torres’ goal against the same opposition for Liverpool.
You just can’t stop him. His shot map is no doubt the envy of most forwards. Sometimes you can tell when a player has been shoehorned into a role. With Watkins, though, it’s as though his previous two years with Brentford were in preparation for this one. The season in which he truly announced himself.
All the graphics and visualisations in this article use Wyscout data and were produced in the Twenty3 Content Toolbox.
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