Aston Villa: Unai Emery has Morgan Rogers decision to make v Lille after Brentford struggles
Aston Villa will be left wondering just quite how they managed to come away from their clash with Brentford on Saturday (6 April) with only a solitary point to their name.
Unai Emery’s men were coasting at 2-0 thanks to goals from Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers but three goals in the space of nine second-half minutes from the visitors at Villa Park will have left Unai Emery bemused as to what he was seeing.
Watkins’ second did rescue a 3-3 draw but with games against Lille and Arsenal on the horizon, the defensive frailties on display have to be ironed out and dealt with as soon as possible.
Should Aston Villa drop Morgan Rogers v Lille and Arsenal?
Against the Bees, it has to be said that the absence of Boubacar Kamara was more evident than it has ever been, with the lack of a defensive midfielder so blindingly obvious.
Despite having 70% possession [FotMob] Emery’s side struggled to make it count and left themselves susceptible to the counterattack.
This saw the away side rack up a higher xG with 1.56 as they created three big chances compared to the home side’s one.
Many fans have put this factor down to a lack of a defensive pivot within a Villa midfield that included Rogers, Douglas Luiz, John McGinn and Leon Bailey, all of whom like to get forward.
Between them all, just eight ground duels were won out of a possible 24, which represents just a 33% success rate. This pointed towards the Brentford midfield getting to the ball more often, allowing them to create chances.
Rogers himself had just a 43% success rate [FotMob] and was eventually substituted at 3-2 down as Emery looked to change the game.
These defensive issues could point towards a defensive-minded midfielder coming in from the start in the coming games.
Tim Iroegbunam is the obvious choice despite his struggles at time against Manchester City. He won four ground duels, according to FotMob, but was up against the best in the world in Rodri in midfield.
The 20-year old played 74 minutes against Ajax in the first leg of the Europa Conference League tie (7 March), which allowed him to show off his quality more. He had a 100% tackle success rate as well as winning 50% of his duels [FotMob].
With Villa conceding so many goals in recent weeks, 12 in their last five Premier League games, this could be a worthwhile tactical tweak by Emery, despite Rogers getting on the scoresheet.
And Iroegbunam is a gamble worth taking at such a crucial juncture of the season.
In other Aston Villa news, a new Jaden Philogene update has emerged at Villa Park.
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