Aston Villa have serious penalty problem and Unai Emery must address it
Aston Villa's horrific record from the penalty spot reared its ugly head yet again as they beat Bologna to progress to the Europa League semi-final on Thursday.
After Ollie Watkins had given the home side the perfect start, Morgan Rogers had the chance to double the advantage from the spot after Martin Vitik had handled the ball.
The 23-year-old struck low and hard but saw his effort parried back by Federico Ravaglia, marking Villa's third penalty miss this season alone.
Emi Buendia would make up for it just seconds later, however, and Rogers would get his goal just before the break.
Ezri Konsa's late goal capped off a wonderful night at Villa Park, with Villa in fine form for the Europa League semi-final.
Aston Villa's horrific penalty record laid bare
Football Insider exclusively revealed last month that Villa are fighting to keep hold of Rogers this summer amid growing interest throughout the Premier League and Europe.
The midfielder was superb again on Thursday, constantly representing the beating heart of Unai Emery's attack.
| Morgan Rogers | vs Bologna (H) |
| Minutes played | 74 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Chances created | 3 |
| Was fouled | 1 |
| Duels won | 4/10 |
But his ability to take a penalty is clearly a weak point, and much of his squad can share that struggle.
Donyell Malen, who joined Roma in January, is the only Villa player to have scored a penalty this season, with Buendia, Watkins and now Rogers all missing.
And it is not a problem that has just become prevalent this season. In the last campaign, the Villans missed four of 10 awarded, with Marco Asensio, Watkins and Youri Tielemans all faltering from the spot.
In fact, since May 2023, Villa have been awarded with 21 penalties across all competitions, and not including shootouts - of those, they have missed nine.
Unai Emery must address penalty concerns
Rogers' penalty miss was ultimately harmless on Thursday, with Villa's progression sealed by Buendia's goal just seconds later.
But it represents a more significant problem that must plague the back of Emery's mind.
Just two more ties stand between the Villans and the Europa League title. Should one of those go to a penalty shootout, it would be hard to place confidence in this Villa side.
There is little Emery can do right now other than train them, but the summer will bring a chance to find a much-needed specialist.