credit: Imago

Max Wilkins

Sat 3 May 2025 13:17, UK

Unai Emery has to take Morgan Rogers off at half-time for Aston Villa after an infuriating display against Fulham on Saturday afternoon.

The Villans go in at the break with a 1-0 lead thanks to a bullet header from Youri Tielemans from an inswinging John McGinn corner.

It hasn’t been all smooth sailing for the home side with the Cottagers having their fair share of possession throughout the opening 45 minutes.

Despite having the lead, a change could be in the offing from Emery in the break as Rogers continues to frustrate the claret and blue faithful.

Rogers frustrates in Aston Villa v Fulham

There is no doubt that the England international has the ability to get on the ball, drive and make things happen in forward areas.

Despite this, the Villa Park crowd haven’t seen that against Marco Silva’s side as the 22-year-old continues to showcase a lack of confidence.

This often sees the attacking midfielder pick up the ball and attempt to do something too clever before losing the ball and putting his team under pressure.

This was a complaint against Crystal Palace as Villa fell to defeat at Wembley and was once again on show at Villa Park.

Rogers completed just 50 per cent of his attempted dribbles in B6 while also failing to create a single chance or get a shot off against the Cottagers [FotMob].

As a result, it is little surprise that the former Manchester City youngster won just two duels in a 40 per cent success rate and was dispossessed once, which is far from good enough.

With the likes of Jacob Ramsey and Donyell Malen on the bench, there is no reason to accept another poor performance from the Englishman.

Emery must trust Malen for Aston Villa

There is always a chance on the counter against this Fulham side, something which Malen could certainly exploit if given the chance.

The Netherlands international has been excellent when given the chance to prove himself this season and should be awarded that opportunity in B6.

This is especially the case after yet another shoddy performance from Rogers, who continues to be favoured by Emery in bizarre fashion.

It will be interesting to see what the Spaniard opts to do with the Englishman and how that impacts Villa in the second half.