
Best Pokemon for Greninja Tera Raid
Players should look for Pokémon like Klefki, Gastrodon and Clodsire to take on the Greninja Tera Raid event in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
1970-01-01 08:00

England’s Ollie Watkins: ‘I used to shop in Sainsbury’s ... then I came to Aston Villa and I couldn’t’
Ollie Watkins is the man of the moment: seven goals and four assists this season in a free-flowing Aston Villa side, including a recent hat-trick against Brighton in front of Gareth Southgate, meant it wasn’t a surprise when he was called up to play for England last week, 18 months after his last cap. Except that three weeks ago, he wasn’t the man at all. He still hadn’t scored in the Premier League. He was struggling to take chances and he was getting some stick, which is why he celebrated his first league goal of the season, against Chelsea in late September, with his fingers in his ears. Zoom out and his form has been exceptional for a year, but criticism is never far away. “I think all fans are quite fickle,” Watkins says. “If you go a few games without a goal, people will be saying, ‘he’s on a drought, he can’t score’. Then I score four goals in two games and everyone kind of loves you.” Watkins is sitting in a quiet room at St George’s Park, at ease with his surroundings at England’s headquarters. He is 27 and has just signed a new long-term contract with Villa. After a sporadic international career to date, he seems ready to add a lot more to his seven England caps, and is striving to make a first major tournament at Euro 2024 in Germany next summer. But getting there isn’t necessarily a given. Since Unai Emery took charge of Villa 12 months ago, no English player has recorded more than Watkins’ 25 Premier League goal involvements, yet he has not played for his country all year. “I think I go under the radar, maybe,” he concludes. “I don’t know if I’m not talked about enough, profile-wise.” Watkins is up against a truism of international football, certainly when it comes to England, that established names playing for renowned clubs find it a little easier to get in the team. It only takes a glance at the current squad to see that. And when there is a manager at the helm who has built up loyalties to long-serving players, they can be hard to dislodge. I’m content with where I am. The fame, the followers on Instagram – if it does come, it does. If it doesn’t, I’m not bothered really Ollie Watkins So perhaps players like Watkins need to do something special, like his role in thrashing Brighton, to get the same recognition as more experienced internationals who can rely on Southgate’s faith through rocky form. “I know I need to be scoring as much as them, if not more, to get into the team,” he says of his fellow strikers. He’s also conscious that his name does not carry the cachet of other England players. This is a curse of the modern game, a place where sporting talent meets celebrity hype, where players are scrutinised for what they do off the pitch as much as on it. It is a world Watkins has largely shunned, perhaps to his detriment. He doesn’t have Twitter, and his 374,000 followers on Instagram are dwarfed by teammates like Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford, who have online audiences of 16 million. A commercial guru at his agency has encouraged Watkins to use social media, to raise his status a little, but it doesn’t come naturally. “I wouldn’t want to put anything out there that’s not authentic and not myself,” he says. “You see how much money you can make on Instagram. But my saying has always been just be good at football and the rest will take care of itself. If I’m scoring 30 goals a year and someone wants to do a sponsorship deal with me then they are going to want to do it because I’m doing well on the pitch. “I’m content with where I am. The fame, the followers on Instagram – if it does come, it does. If it doesn’t, I’m not bothered really.” Being a Premier League striker at a historic club still brings its fair share of attention, something Watkins admits he doesn’t revel in. Life was different playing in the Championship for Brentford. “I used to just go and shop in Sainsbury’s, normal, and I came to try and do it at Villa and I couldn’t,” he laughs. “I had my earphones in and people took two looks and went, ‘Is that him?’. Once one person asks for a photo, then maybe it’s two or three, and then it’s hard to do shopping... I came home and I was fuming. I said to my missus, I’m never going out again. And since then I don’t do the shopping.” But he appreciates living at the gentler end of the mania scale, and cites Jack Grealish as an example. “I can imagine for Jack, it’s 10 times worse. He’s on another level, he’s like a superstar.” Out of the spotlight, Watkins has been playing some of the best football of his career. He credits his form to his demanding Spanish manager, who has given him direction to be a pure goalscorer after his struggles under Emery’s predecessor, Steven Gerrard. “It wasn’t down to him but I was just falling into a rut. I feel like I’ve gone on to a different path and really focused on being a striker. Before I’d be trying to cross it and then get on the end of my own cross and head it. Now I’m focused on being the main man.” This is his fourth season at Villa and he is producing his highest numbers so far. His expected goals and actual goals per 90 minutes are up on previous seasons, he is shooting a yard closer to goal, on average, and he is taking more than three shots per game under Emery, compared to only two under Gerrard. Those numbers are translating into eye-catching performances. He has set a target of 20 goals this season and it is a sign of his form over the past year that it almost sounds unambitious. But if he keeps delivering for Emery on the pitch, slowly but surely, the recognition will come his way. “I'm confident I'm gonna get to that number, and then I think people start talking and you get put into a bracket of the top players. I've got to where I am today from doing everything I believe in – the social media element is not my No 1 priority at the end of the day, football is – so I’ll just keep doing what I'm doing.” Read More Ollie Watkins and Jarrod Bowen make England return but Raheem Sterling left out England squad announcement LIVE: Southgate names players for international break Josh Magennis determined to keep giving his all for Northern Ireland Josh Magennis determined to keep giving his all for Northern Ireland How Scotland became the one team Rodri could not defeat Charlie Savage impresses Rob Page during his Wales debut
2023-10-12 14:20

Guatemala paralysed as pro-democracy protests run into second week
Protesters are demanding the removal of the attorney-general, whom they accuse of undermining democracy.
2023-10-10 21:10

Belarus' top diplomat says he can't imagine his nation entering the war in Ukraine alongside Russia
The foreign minister of Belarus says he can't envision a situation where his country would enter the war in Ukraine alongside Russian forces
2023-09-26 23:46

Is Bomb Rush Cyberfunk on Nintendo Switch?
Can players explore New Amsterdam on the Nintendo Switch?
2023-06-16 02:52

Who stars in 'Class of '09'? Meet the cast of FX on Hulu's upcoming thriller miniseries
'Class of '09' will debut with two episodes on May 10 on FX on Hulu
1970-01-01 08:00

With the world's eyes on Gaza, attacks are on the rise in the West Bank, which faces its own war
When Israeli warplanes swooped over the Gaza Strip following Hamas militants’ brutal attack on southern Israel, Palestinians say a different kind of war took hold in the occupied West Bank
2023-11-20 13:02

Spurs guard Devonte' Graham suspended 2 games for impaired driving
The NBA has suspended San Antonio Spurs guard Devonte’ Graham for two games without pay for pleading guilty to a charge of impaired driving
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Guardiola has 'incredible doubts' despite treble success
Pep Guardiola laughed off claims that he was the greatest coach of all time on Saturday, saying he lives with "incredible doubts" despite leading Manchester...
2023-07-22 18:49

White House Denies Report That China Is Building a Spy Base on Cuba
The White House pushed back on a report that the Chinese government cut a deal with Cuba to
2023-06-09 01:19

Canada PM calls for immediate humanitarian corridor into Gaza
OTTAWA (Reuters) -Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday called for a humanitarian corridor to be opened into Gaza, saying
2023-10-17 03:57

Bucks overcome 26-point deficit to beat Trail Blazers in Lillard's 1st game against former team
Giannis Antetokounmpo made a tiebreaking tip-in with 18.5 seconds left, Damian Lillard scored 31 points against his former team and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame a 26-point deficit to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 108-102 on Sunday
2023-11-27 07:26
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