Aston Villa manager Unai Emery declined to explain why striker Ollie Watkins was absent from the squad for the team's opening Premier League match of the season at Brighton, instead directing questions to the player's agent. The comment came after Villa suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat on the south coast, a match in which they were reduced to 10 men during a chaotic first half.
Watkins absence shrouded in speculation
Before the game, speculation had been widespread regarding Watkins' whereabouts. BirminghamLive reported that the striker was neither injured nor travelling to Saudi Arabia to complete a move to Al-Hilal. When asked after the match why Watkins had not been included in the squad, Emery responded: "This question is for him. I can answer only with my silence."
Pressed further on whether Watkins had refused to play, Emery replied: "I think you call his agent and he can respond." When asked if he felt let down by the striker, the manager added: "He can only explain his answer, I can't."
Disastrous first half at Brighton
The match itself saw Villa fall apart in the opening period. Victor Lindelöf scored an own goal in the eighth minute, and Maxim De Cuyper and Jack Hinshelwood both found the net before Joao Gomes was sent off. Hinshelwood added a second goal before half-time, leaving Villa four goals down and a man short.
Emery reflected on the team's collapse, saying: "In the last three years, until the transfer window finishes, we have had problems like we are having now. The players here today are keeping the mentality I want for the team. Not complaining or blaming, even with a tough result today."
Emery praises second-half response
Despite the heavy defeat, Emery highlighted the improvement after the interval. "We were focused and we were motivated and excited to start playing with our circumstances. The players were showing their capacity to compete and play with circumstances, being on the field comfortable," he said.
"We made some mistakes and they scored goals in 25 minutes - we lost everything. It was a strange moment that we had, conceding four goals, it's not normal. We were lost a little bit emotionally," he admitted. "In the first half in the dressing room we spoke about how we react and that we never give up before now. In the second half I am happy with how we responded and the players showed their maturity, thinking about how we are building the team in the next days and months."
