Is Ollie Watkins pushing for an England recall?
Ollie Watkins is one of the most in-form strikers in the Premier League at the moment after scoring in each of his last 5 league games. He's on his best run of form in a Villa shirt and is a player who is full of confidence with the form he's in right now. Now is he pushing for an England recall?
It's been nearly a year since Watkins last played for his country and he is certainly putting himself back in contention for a return to the squad with the form he's in. He'll fancy his chances of earning a recall if he keeps up the form he's in as some of the other strikers vying the back spot behind Harry Kane aren't in great form. Callum Wilson hasn't repeated his pre-World Cup form since the season resumed, Tammy Abraham hasn't had his best season with Roma whist Dominic Calvert Lewin has had another injury hit season. Ivan Toney is having a great season with Brentford but other than that the other English strikers are not in the best of form at the moment.
If he can keep up the current form he's in over the next month or so, he could be back in that England squad ahead of their first round of Euro 2024 qualifiers.
Are Leeds turning a corner under Gracia?
Leeds finally ended their long winless streak at the weekend where they beat Southampton 1-0 to get Javi Gracia's reign of to a winning start. The result moved them out of the bottom three and their overall performance was much more controlled. So are they turning a corner under their new manager?
Both the result and performance will give them a lot of confidence as they'll both give them something to build on going into the rest of the season. Gracia didn't have a lot of time to work with his players during the week but his side still put in an improved performance and one that was much more controlled. They might not be as entertaining to watch as they were under Marsch and Bielsa but Gracia's way of playing could help them get better results as it's not as frantic.
Gracia will need to his side to repeat the Southampton performance on a regular basis if they're to stay up and if they can do that for the next few games and get results from them, they could well be turning a corner.
Ings is what West Ham needed
Danny Ings finally made his West Ham debut at the weekend and he marked it with a double in their 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest to move the Hammers out of the bottom three. Goals have been struggle for West Ham this season and Ings certainly showed against Forest what kind of player they've lacked this season in a no.9 who knows where the back of the net is.
The Hammers netted just 19 goals before their thumping win over Forest with only four teams scoring fewer and their struggles in front of goal are why they're in a relegation battle.
But in Danny Ings they appear to finally have someone who can make a difference in the final third. It might have been his first start in a Hammers shirt but the two goals will him the confidence to bag more and be the player West Ham have been crying for all season. He's a proven goal scorer at this level and i West Ham can keep him fir and in form for the rest of the season, they'll have more than enough to push themselves away from danger.
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