Aston Villa: Unai Emery gets it wrong as Morgan Rogers axed for showdown v Tottenham
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has made a mistake with his starting XI to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League by axing Morgan Rogers.
Emery’s side are looking to extend their winning run in the Premier League to four matches against Ange Postecoglou’s side at Villa Park on Sunday (10 March) and boost their chances of a Champions League place this season.
Villa could only manage a 0-0 draw with Ajax in the Europa Conference League last time out, but Emery will be hoping that his side’s good form in the league will continue following their late win over Luton Town.
However, Emery has decided to make three changes to his side from the clash in Amsterdam, with Tim Iroegbunam, Moussa Diaby and Rogers dropping to the bench in favour of Leon Bailey, Matty Cash and John McGinn.
Rogers impressed in his first Villa star against the Dutch giants, completing more dribbles than any other player for either side with five in the clash, while also managing an impressive four touches in the opposition box, according to Fotmob.
The 21-year-old boasted an impressive pass completion of 83 per cent, with two of those efforts finding teammates in the final third as he attempted to break down Ajax’s block to help Villa find an away goal.
Out of possession, Rogers worked incredibly hard as well, winning seven of the 10 ground duels he entered in the match without committing a single foul as he showed he wasn’t afraid to get stuck in.
In comparison, Youri Tielemans only completed 68 per cent of his passes and won only 33 per cent of his ground duels in the match as he repeatedly failed to make the most of the limited possession he had in the game.
While Bailey is more than worthy of his place in the starting XI, having scored eight goals and picked up eight assists in just 14 league starts this season, it should have been Tielemans who dropped out instead of Rogers.
Can Unai Emery push Aston Villa towards the Champions League against Tottenham?
Villa have almost found themselves in a straight shootout with Tottenham for the Champions League this season as the two sides are almost neck and neck in the race for fourth place in the Premier League.
Emery is having to balance both the Premier League and the Europa Conference League, something that Postecoglou hasn’t had to concern himself with this term as he dedicates the entirety of his focus towards the league.
A win on Sunday will push Villa eight points clear of Spurs, albeit having played a game more, and with only 10 matches left of the season, that could be enough for Emery’s side to book their place in the Champions League next term.
In other Aston Villa news, Alan Hutton has suggested that Unai Emery is ready to take Villa to the “next level” in the summer transfer window
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