Unai Emery needs to bin Morgan Rogers experiment after struggles in Aston Villa v Borussia Dortmund
Unai Emery will be left mulling over his final week of preparation for the Premier League season after a 2-0 defeat for Aston Villa on Saturday.
The Villans lost to Borussia Dortmund thanks to goals from Emre Can and Julian Brandt in the first half of their final pre-season contest at Signal Iduna Park.
Emery opted to start Morgan Rogers through the middle of the attack as a “false nine”, but the by-trade winger looked uncomfortable and failed to force an attempt towards goal in his 79 minutes on the field.
It’s possible that Emery’s pursuit of Raphinha may mean he is looking to make Rogers more versatile in attack, whilst the former Manchester City youngster’s secondary position as a No. 10 could be adopted by Joao Felix as another ambitious transfer target.
Emery should not persist with Rogers in No. 9 role
Rogers is a tremendously gifted player for Aston Villa, but with the team hoping to retain their top-four status this season and about to face Europe’s elite in the Champions League, square pegs in round holes cannot really be afforded – even if potential signings may mean Rogers has to be an option elsewhere.
It was worth a try to experiment with the 22-year-old as a striker, but surely now Emery believes there are better ways to utilise him.
Whilst Rogers was not the only Villa man not to impress in North-Rhine Westphalia on Saturday, only four dribbles were attempted by the England youth international with none successful [Sofascore].
Rogers only touched the ball 21 times in 79 minutes, and completed just 44% of just nine passes attempted, showing he is better as a creative force on the flanks or in an attacking midfield role rather than spearheading the attack.
Emery’s deeper-lying striker for the day lost possession 11 times throughout his appearance and won neither of his two aerial duels, which is not Rogers’ fault as it simply does not play to his strengths.
Last season whilst predominantly out on the left-hand side whilst with Villa in the Premier League, Rogers maintained an average pass accuracy of a much better 77%, successfully completing 59% of his dribbles down the channels and raising his market value to north of £12m with his bright displays [Transfermarkt].
Opposition of the calibre of Dortmund are what Emery’s side must now look to match given the level of this season’s European encounters, and the head coach must identify what of his experimentation has worked this summer – Rogers as a striker has not.
In other Aston Villa news, a view on Pau Torres amid the wait for Tyrone Mings to return.
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