Unai Emery cannot make same Morgan Rogers mistake for Liverpool v Aston Villa amid ‘Worry’ admission

Unai Emery cannot afford to start Morgan Rogers against Liverpool on Saturday after the boss shared his “worry” with the Aston Villa forward.

The 22-year-old opened the scoring for Villa last weekend in the 4-1 loss against Tottenham and was replaced by Jhon Duran for the final 20 minutes – he has not completed a full match in his last two outings.

Emery is growing concerned with the forward’s workload this year as revealed to The Mirror [9 November, Football pullout pg3], and he may be forced to rest Rogers against Liverpool in the face of another international call-up.

He said: “He is not now a player to go with the U21s because he is 22 and they can get other players more efficient for the U21s. Now they are playing friendly matches, so it is not relevant for him to be with them, but I have to accept and respect.

“He is one of our best players. His rest is important because he is playing a lot. He is normally running the most of all the players in our squad, 11km a match and with intensity as well.

“He is sometimes tired. I decided to change him at Tottenham because the last time he was with his national team and played with us he was finishing so, so tired. For us he is a very important player and sometimes I need to keep him on for 90 minutes.

“This is why I talk about friendly matches and U21s, if he is really important to go there and play, sacrifice his rest and risk him being injured?

“This is really my worry with him. I am trying to protect him a lot. We need him now here more than the national team will need him.”

Morgan Rogers should be rested for Aston Villa v Liverpool

Rogers has started every match for Aston Villa this season barring the 2-1 loss against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup and the workload is certainly taking its toll on the young forward.

Emery lost his first Champions League fixture 1-0 against Club Brugge on Wednesday [6 November] in arguably Rogers’ worst outing since his midseason arrival from Middlesbrough last term.

He remained on the pitch for 66 minutes and failed to register a single shot at goal in Belgium, completed only 79 per cent of his 19 passing attempts, completed only 33 per cent of his dribbles, and lost 75 per cent of his ground duels on the night [Sofascore].

No supporter can deny Emery’s remarkable rise to the European elite but the fact remains, that the squad is far too thin to compete on all fronts, and the Spaniard risks a dramatic falloff should he not rotate his side more frequently.

Morgan Rogers Aston Villa
credit: Sky Sports Premier League on YouTube

Rogers was arguably the only standout performer at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last weekend, he scored his goal from his only shot on target for a 100 per cent shot conversion rate and found his teammates with two key passes with one big chance created [Sofascore].

Furthermore, he completed 66 per cent of his dribbles and won 83 per cent of his ground duels – absolute night and day compared to his performance in the Champions League.

However, his impact was highlighted by the fact the score was tied at 1-1 at the time of his substitution, Dominic Solanke fired in a brace less than 10 minutes later to establish a commanding lead and ultimately decide the result.

Liverpool are the most in-form side in the Premier League and while Rogers could make an impact at Anfield, his health should be the main concern.

Emery must be bold and drop the forward to the bench, name a more defensively solid lineup, and then aim to introduce Rogers for the final half-hour of the match, for an explosive impact from the bench.

In other Aston Villa news, the Villans face competition for the signing of Pedro Goncalves amid Premier League interest.

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