Aston Villa’s squad depth is so strong that Unai Emery had to leave three players out of his matchday squad for Saturday’s clash with Newcastle United. Pau Torres, Leon Bailey, and Lamare Bogarde were the unfortunate trio who missed out, while Donyell Malen and Andres Garcia were not included in Villa's squad for the Champions League knockouts due to UEFA rules limiting the number of new signings that can be registered. "Since I have been at Villa, a lot of fans would say it’s the best squad we’ve had,” Ollie Watkins said after Saturday’s 4-1 victory over Newcastle. Watkins made only his second start in Villa's last seven games and needed less than a minute to make his mark, firing past Nick Pope via a deflection. "I'm banging on the door asking why I'm not playing," he continued. "The signings we made in January—players like Rashford and Asensio—have raised the quality. It means players like myself have to drop to the bench, and there's going to be lots of rotation." Moments after opening the scoring, Watkins hit the bar, then spun Fabian Schär and was pulled down by the defender, who was fortunate not to be shown red. After the Swiss international equalised at the Holte End, Watkins smacked the post with a header and had another tangle with Schär before half-time, but referee Jarred Gillett waved away his penalty claims. Watkins later assisted Ian Maatsen as the left-back restored Villa’s lead just after the hour mark. Simply unplayable, Watkins channeled his frustration over not starting either Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain in the right way. Meanwhile, John McGinn delivered another sensational display, and Tyrone Mings kept Alexander Isak quiet before being substituted in the second half. Both McGinn and Mings, like summer signings and goalscorers Maatsen and Amadou Onana, often rotate in and out of the starting XI. Jacob Ramsey, who also made a brilliant impact off the bench, looked eager to prove a point after being replaced in the starting line-up by Asensio. Ramsey’s cross was turned in by Dan Burn to give Villa a 3-1 lead, before he struck the post in search of a fifth, shortly after Onana rifled an effort past Pope from the edge of the box in the 75th minute. Since Marcus Rashford and Asensio made their debuts in the 2-1 FA Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur, Villa have won 12 of their 16 matches in all competitions, losing just twice—including the away leg against PSG—and averaging 2.25 goals per game. In fact, since most of Emery’s squad returned from injury, Villa's recent form has been even more impressive: 10 wins from their last 11 matches, with the only loss coming against the French champions last week. This has been a masterclass in man-management from Emery. He has admitted in several press conferences that some players are furious over their lack of starts in recent weeks, but that frustration has only driven up performance levels. Competition within the squad is so fierce that every player is now performing at their peak. “We can be sad not playing, or we can be angry,” Emery explained on Friday. “I prefer angry. I am speaking about every player. Now it is very important and again I can explain it to you, like with the players. “Four months ago we were not achieving our objective of winning matches because we didn't have enough players. For injuries, not being fit, because maybe we weren't really 100 per cent. That was four months ago. “I can again remind you of the points we lost at home and even we only lost one match against Arsenal on the first day of the season. But we drew a lot of matches, they were points.” Will Villa qualify for the Champions League? Tell us here