Aston Villa player ratings vs Bologna: John McGinn back to his best, 4/10 terrible again
Aston Villa have finally secured their first win of the season, beating Bologna 1-0 at Villa Park.
Villa kicked off their Europa League campaign against Bologna on Thursday night with the hope of kick-starting a positive run of form at Villa Park.
It didn’t take long for Unai Emery’s side to hit their stride as John McGinn scored the opener, leaving Monchi ecstatic, even after his mid-week exit from B6.
This is just what the claret and blue outfit needed, especially after Emery was linked with the sack at Villa after a tough start to the campaign.
On a day when Villa finally secured a victory in the 2025/26 season, Villa News has ranked each player’s performance out of 10.
John McGinn runs the show vs Bologna
There may be accusations that things have gotten stale in the Midlands, but there is no doubt that McGinn is seemingly timeless.
The 30-year-old has had a tricky start to the season, but looked to be back to his best on the European stage for the Villans.
This saw him score his first of the campaign with his only shot of the evening, maintaining a 100 per cent conversion rate from the edge of the box.
McGinn also won one duel and contributed to four defensive actions, something which can’t be overlooked against a physical Bologna side.
If the captain can maintain this sort of form moving deeper into the campaign, as Villa look to turn things around in the Premier League.
Morgan Rogers disappoints again for Aston Villa
It appears that the weight of being the reigning PFA Young Player of the Year is weighing heavily on the shoulders of the 23-year-old in a Villa shirt.
The attacking midfielder has had a shocking start to the campaign, and that form has frustratingly continued into the Europa League.
This saw Rogers lose eight duels on the night, the most on the pitch, while also being dribbled past on one occasion in the Midlands.
A 33 per cent duel win rate is far from good enough and is something that needs to change and quickly, else he risks being dropped by Emery.
Aston Villa player ratings vs Bologna
Marco Bizot – 5
Matty Cash – 6
Ezri Konsa – 5
Pau Torres – 6
Ian Maatsen – 5
Boubacar Kamara -7
John McGinn – 8
Evann Guessand – 5
Emi Buendia – 5
Morgan Rogers – 4
Donyell Malen – 5
Substitutes
Ollie Watkins – 3
Jadon Sancho – N/A
Lucas Digne – N/A
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