Aston Villa ace with fewer touches than Marco Bizot must be axed vs Fulham, Unai Emery is hitting self destruct
Unai Emery must make some bold decisions as Aston Villa search for their opening Premier League victory against Fulham.
Villa drew 1-1 with Sunderland last time out, with John McGinn scoring the only goal during midweek to achieve their first win of the season, but Emery’s team are still stuck in the relegation zone.
It has been a difficult season for all involved, especially in the final third after Ollie Watkins missed a penalty on Thursday, 25 September, to extend their lead against Bologna at Villa Park.
Marco Silva‘s side, on the other hand, are sitting eighth in the Premier League table after eight games, fresh from Fulham’s 1-0 win over Brentford and Carabao Cup victory against Cambridge United.
Before welcoming the Cottagers to Villa Park, though, Emery needs to drop one key star.
Morgan Rogers had fewer touches than Marco Bizot vs Bologna
Morgan Rogers has been suffering on the left flank so far this season, but even after being moved into the middle of the pitch, he failed to perform on a big night in Europe.
Boubacar Kamara and Donyell Malen offered positive signs during the 90 minutes, but it will take a lot more than just the duo for the Villans to secure their first three points of the domestic campaign.
To put his performance into perspective, Marco Bizot played a starring role in between the sticks and touched the ball more times than Rogers, even with Bologna often dominating possession.
| Morgan Rogers vs Bologna | Stats [as per FotMob] |
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Touches | 50 |
| Passing accuracy | 42% (10/24) |
| Successful dribbles | 0% (0/2) |
| Dispossessed | 6 |
| Ground duels won | 29% (4/14) |
When the England international did finally get a touch on the ball, his passes were either misplaced, he was dispossessed by the opposition, or he ran blindly into a narrow corridor before losing the ball.
The player Unai Emery must start in place of Rogers
The obvious contender to take his place against Fulham would be Harvey Elliott, who is signed on loan from Liverpool on transfer deadline day this summer.
Against the Cottagers, the 22-year-old has been on the winning side three times, only being defeated once, and he has already shown sparks of his talents when given the opportunity by Emery.
Alternatively, Emi Buendia could be moved into the middle to make room for Jadon Sancho on the left flank. Either way, Emery is in dire need of resting Rogers, who is failing to recreate his form from last season.