Unai Emery to show ruthless side at Aston Villa as Morgan Rogers to fume vs Tottenham
Morgan Rogers can have no complaints about the criticism he’s faced at Aston Villa this season.
The 23-year-old has looked like a shadow of his former self in recent months, as the Villans find themselves 13th in the Premier League table.
Tottenham had their eyes on Rogers in the summer, with the North London outfit looking to bolster their squad with the England international after missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White.
Spurs are now set to welcome Unai Emery’s team in the league on 19 October, but the Lions’ attacking midfielder may be in for an unwanted surprise.
Morgan Rogers axed from Aston Villa starting lineup vs Tottenham
Rogers has statistically been one of the worst players in the Premier League for Villa, ranking last in terms of average Sofascore ratings among those who have made at least 50 per cent of appearances under Emery.
The Englishman has started every league game for the Villans, but has failed to find the back of the net, leaving the Villa Park faithful wondering what’s going on with him.
In the previous campaign, the former Middlesbrough star had eight goals and 11 assists in 37 Premier League appearances, highlighting his recent dip in form.
Rogers assisted Donyell Malen’s second goal against Burnley, as the Lions took three crucial points with a 2-1 win on 5 October.
While the England international will feel he’s returning to his best after two assists in his last two league matches and scoring for England in the 3-0 win over Wales on 9 October in a friendly, Emery should look to bench him.
Rogers will undoubtedly fume at the possibility of not starting against Tottenham, but the Spanish manager needs to be ruthless now and show he can take bold decisions with his top players.
Unai Emery has perfect replacement for Morgan Rogers vs Tottenham
Villa are underdogs going into the Tottenham game, which isn’t surprising given the two teams’ form this season.
After a poor start to the 2025-26 campaign, there’s been an upwards trajectory at the Villans, with two wins on the bounce, but it took Emery five games to get a Premier League victory on the board.
| Player | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Minutes played |
| Morgan Rogers | 10 | 0 | 2 | 825 |
As for Spurs, they’ve lost just one league game this season and won 4-1 on the Lions’ last visit to North London in the previous campaign.
It could be the perfect opportunity for Emery to hand a rare start to the ex-Liverpool star for the B6 club and replace Rogers, as he can play in the number 10 role as well as out wide.
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