Gabby Agbonlahor shares Morgan Rogers answer as Aston Villa called out before Chelsea
Gabby Agbonlahor says Aston Villa’s injury issues are no excuse for their poor recent form.
Following Villa‘s 2-1 comeback win at Chelsea on 27 December, Unai Emery‘s team were third in the Premier League, one point behind Manchester City and three adrift of leaders Arsenal.
That club-record 11-match winning streak feels a long time ago, though, as Villa prepare to host Chelsea on Wednesday at Villa Park.
The Villans have been without the likes of captain John McGinn, Youri Tielemans, and Boubacar Kamara in 2026 due to injury.
But one win in their last five league games suggests there are bigger issues at play at Villa, claims former player Agbonlahor.
Gabby Agbonlahor takes aim at Morgan Rogers
Ahead of the Chelsea encounter, Villa sit fourth in the table, just six points above the Blues in sixth. After being third for so long, Manchester United are now ahead of them on goal difference.
A defeat for the Villans could provide a hammer blow in their bid to secure Champions League football next season, after just missing out last term.
And Agbonlahor thinks that Liam Rosenior’s team will come out on top if they get midfielder Moises Caicedo to man-mark Rogers out of the game.
He said on talkSPORT on Tuesday morning: “You can’t just blame injuries, everyone’s got injuries. Yes, losing Tielemans, McGinn, and Kamara is not good. But I’m watching them, and no one’s really standing up.
“Without Rogers, no one else is signing up to the party. It’s like no Rogers, no goals. If you’re playing against Villa now, if you’re Chelsea on Wednesday, you get Caicedo man-marking Rogers, and you win the game. It’s really simple. It’s too soft; he’s been poor recently.”
Rogers has scored eight goals and added five assists in 28 league games so far this season. But the 23-year-old has only scored once in his last 11 league matches.
If they are to claim a huge victory against Chelsea, they will likely need the England international to be firing on all cylinders.
Aston Villa trio come under heavy fire
At the start of the season, Villa signed winger Jadon Sancho on loan from Manchester United, and despite some signs of positivity, the ex-Chelsea loanee has largely underwhelmed.
No goals and one assist in 17 league outings is evidence of that. Fellow wideman Leon Bailey was loaned out to Roma before being recalled in January.
However, he has struggled to make an impact, and Agbonlahor is not convinced by Juventus loanee Douglas Luiz, either.
He added, “Jadon Sancho can’t get past the player. You bring on Leon Bailey, there’s a reason why he loaned him out to Roma. Not good enough, brought him back because of numbers.
“I look at the midfield, Douglas Luiz has come back. [He] looks miles off it because he’s had so long off.”
Agbonlahor also felt that if Villa didn’t win this game, they would struggle to get in the top five, let alone the top four.
It’s all to play for with 10 fixtures to go, but something needs to change quickly.
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