Aston Villa picked up a decent result on Wednesday evening against Liverpool as they held the Premier League leaders to a 2-2 draw.
The Villans picked up a valuable point against Arne Slot’s side, and, as ever, it wasn’t an easy task for Unai Emery’s men.
Indeed, Liverpool put in a real shift against Villa, and speaking after the game, Ollie Watkins has been discussing just how hard this match was.
Watkins says that it was very tough to play against Liverpool, claiming that both Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk are world-class defenders who didn’t give him an inch of space.
Some consider Van Dijk to be the best defender in the world, and Watkins admits it was difficult to play against the Dutchman and Konate.
Ollie Watkins claims two Liverpool defenders are world-class.
Watkins discussed the challenges of facing this Liverpool team.
The striker claims he had no space to run into, and that both Konate and Van Dijk are world-class players.
Interestingly, Van Dijk lauded Watkins last year before of the previous meeting between these two sides.
“It was tough; they made it difficult for us in the first half, with no space to rush into, especially for myself. There is no area to run into. I was playing against two world-class centre-backs, but you have to select your moments, and I thought we played exceptionally well,” Watkins remarked.
Ollie Watkins believes Van Dijk and Konate are world-class defenders, which is supported by his track record.
Liverpool has the second-best defensive record in the Premier League, and with good cause.
Interestingly, Watkins has a very excellent record versus Van Dijk as a player.
Six goals in nine games versus Van Dijk is an impressive record given the defender’s skill.
Watkins’ record against Konate isn’t as good, but it’s still adequate following his goal on Wednesday.
Watkins memorably scored past Van Dijk in the dying minute of England’s Euro 2024 semi-final match, and for whatever reason, it appears that the Aston Villa player knows the defender’s number.
