Morgan Rogers must be hooked at half-time to save Aston Villa v Crystal Palace
Unai Emery must remove Morgan Rogers at half-time for Aston Villa to avoid extending his losing streak to five matches against Crystal Palace.
Ismaila Sarr shocked Villa Park as he raced through on goal in the fourth minute and fired his effort past Emi Martinez to give the visitors an early lead on Saturday [23 November].
Ollie Watkins equalised after 36 minutes but Youri Tielemans missed a pen to put Villa ahead and Justin Devenny restored Palace’s lead before half-time.
Aston Villa have struggled for most parts of the first 45 minutes, with Morgan Rogers in particular well off it.
Aston Villa must replace Morgan Rogers with Jhon Duran
Rogers has been hailed as one of the best bargain signings for Aston Villa due to his wonderful exploits since his arrival from Middlesbrough.
The 22-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable campaign at Villa Park with three goals and two assists in the Premier League but, the “top notch” star still must strive for consistency if he is to retain his role as a key starter under Emery.
He failed to record a single shot on goal in the opening 45 minutes and has struggled to exert his usual influence only finding teammates with 58 per cent of his passes.
He also lost possession 14 times and only touched the ball 26 times to no effect [Sofascore].
Furthermore, he has lost 58 per cent of his duels contested, completed only 50 per cent of his dribbles and, well, has looked completely off it at Villa Park.
Jhon Duran could look to atone for his outburst on international duty with Colombia which hit the headlines over the break and continue his stellar form from the substitutes’ bench.
As per Transfermarkt, Duran has found the back of the net five times when introduced from the bench, and with this match threatening to boil over into a shootout in the second half, the Colombian could give Aston Villa the killer edge.
In other Aston Villa news, Villa star John McGinn has been called one of the best ever.
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.