Has this Athletic article been posted? (just stop the page fully loading if you want to read on their site and see the pictures - press escape or the x next to the address bar)
https://theathletic.com/5393630/2024/04/10/morgan-rogers-aston-villa-emery/How Morgan Rogers has hit the ground running at Aston Villa
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND - APRIL 06: Morgan Rogers of Aston Villa celebrates after scoring their second goal during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Brentford FC at Villa Park on April 06, 2024 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey - Danehouse/Getty Images)
By Jacob Tanswell and Mark Carey
Apr 10, 2024
6
Despite outside perception, those at Aston Villa became unwavering in their endorsement. Morgan Rogers was who Unai Emery and club staff wanted.
Emery had been approaching January’s FA Cup tie at Middlesbrough with typical preparation. His analysis team had compiled extensive clips of the Championship outfit, with Emery going through the level of detail that combined data with the eye test. Every Middlesbrough player was deeply scrutinised and Rogers, having signed in the summer, was anticipated to lead their front line.
Even before the fixture, Emery had become aware of Rogers’ talent and how he, provided Emery worked with the 21-year-old, could be sculpted and refined.
Yet, in truth, Rogers was well-known across coaching circles, especially in the West Midlands. He was raised a stone’s throw away from The Hawthorns, West Brom’s stadium, playing in the club’s academy until he was 17.
Among his backers at youth level were academy manager Mark Harrison and head of junior recruitment Steve Hopcroft. They had both since moved across to work at Villa in similar roles. Harrison’s extensive knowledge — Rogers is not the first to have made the same move and credits Harrison as a chief influence in their formative years — was key in Villa and Emery building an overall view of the England youth international.
go-deeper
GO DEEPER
Rogers caught Guardiola's and Arteta's eye early - now Emery is offering a chance to shine
Following Villa’s 1-0 victory at the Riverside, Emery felt Rogers had stood out. He pressed the club’s ‘triangle of power’ to pursue a deal and, as a result of protracted negotiations, Rogers signed on that winter window’s deadline day for a fee worth £15million ($19m).
Emery saw precocious attributes in Rogers. He could move on both feet and was comfortable receiving the ball in the half-spaces while possessing the power to run behind defences. Most pertinently, Rogers matched the characteristics of Emery’s archetypal attacking midfielder in a 4-2-2-2 system, with his propensity for ball carrying suited to operating in either of the No 10 positions.
This has crystallised in eye-catching carries in a Villa shirt. Rogers has a muscular upper-body build and, at 6ft 2in tall (189 centimetres), protects the ball well while dribbling.
In the example below against Wolves in March, Rogers puts himself between the ball and Santiago Bueno.
Rogers intelligently manoeuvres his body to roll away from pressure before cutting inside to accelerate away.
Despite Joao Gomes’ desperate attempts to stop the transition, Rogers manages to fend off pressure until Pablo Sarabia is eventually fouled in the attacking half.
Having spent the early stages of his career on loan and playing out wide — even occasionally at wing-back during his unsuccessful loan at Bournemouth — the previous 12 months at Blackpool and Middlesbrough started Rogers’ transition to playing centrally.
The image below shows where Rogers has played since his loan at Lincoln City in the 2020-21 season. At 21, Rogers has built considerable experience in the EFL, playing at four different clubs (three on loan) and being tasked with performing multiple roles. His malleability, therefore, has developed into a standout trait and appealed to Emery.
Working under Michael Carrick at the start of the current campaign, Rogers began operating in more meaningful central areas. This, in part, was due to the role he assumed towards the back end of his time at Blackpool, where he moonlighted as a traditional No 9.
The graphic below illustrates how Carrick used Rogers, largely playing behind a sole forward and receiving between the lines in the final third.
In the game against Villa, Rogers played as a withdrawn No 9, initially behind Josh Coburn and then Emmanuel Latte Lath up front.
“Rogers can play as a No 8, a No 10 or sometimes as a striker,” said Emery.
“I think you’ll have a better idea of that than me,” replied Rogers when asked what his best position is. “I’m not sure. I’m happy to play anywhere. I feel I’ve got the capabilities to play in different positions anywhere across the front line. I’ve picked that up since I was young. I’ve played everywhere.”
We can gain a snapshot of Rogers’ attacking profile using smarterscout, which gives players a series of ratings from zero to 99 relative to how often a player performs a given stylistic action or how effective they are at it compared with others playing in their position.
Moving into the middle has impacted Rogers’ box-crashing ability this season, with receptions in the opponent’s box (84 out of 99) a leading strength. Curiously, Rogers remains Middlesbrough’s highest chance-creator from open play (35) despite having left in January.
Such a creative responsibility has contributed to his poor ball retention score (7 out of 99). Still, Rogers has proven to be highly effective in central and half-space areas, with his link-up play volume (76 out of 99) ranking highly.
This has already been exemplified by the upward trajectory of his performances at Villa. Rogers has a goal and an assist in his last two matches, a sign of him becoming better attuned to making quick decisions and working within Emery’s attacking patterns. “I feel I’m finding my feet and I’m getting better every time I step on the pitch,” said Rogers.
Away at Manchester City earlier this month, Rogers provided the assist for Jhon Duran’s finish.
Note how Rogers checks his shoulder before receiving the ball, gauging the picture in front. Recognising he has little time and space, the shoulder check influences his decision to play first-time back to Duran.
On the day, Rogers played as a second forward, switching with Moussa Diaby, who instead played wider.
Predominantly, though, Emery has deployed the England Under-21 international as the left No 10, replicating the role of Jacob Ramsey.
Ramsey has a similarly adept ball-carrying ability, drifting in from the left and into central areas, but with Ramsey’s season beset by injury, Rogers has offered a comparable balance, operating in the same pockets of space and patterns of play, enabling rotations to materialise ahead and outside of him (the latter via an overlapping left-back).
A case in point is demonstrated below during the second half away to Luton Town in March. Here, Rogers comes inside the pitch and offers a passing lane to John McGinn, who splits Luton’s midfield pivot.
Rogers’ movement prompts Ollie Watkins to make his trademark in-to-out run between full-back and centre-back.
A similar passage transpires in the UEFA Conference League fixture against Ajax, with McGinn again splitting the opponent’s midfield with a pass into Rogers.
The first image is a good example of the inverted positions Emery’s No 10s take up when Villa are in comfortable possession.
Rogers’ education as a centre-forward means he has the range to open his stride and run behind defences. This creates variation in his play, not always wanting the ball to feet and becoming unpredictable.
In Villa’s most recent home draw with Brentford, for instance, Rogers makes a run inside the centre-backs.
Rogers’ poise and two-footedness was epitomised in scoring his first Villa goal against Brentford. Drifting from the left and staying between the lines, the attacker makes a blindside run off Vitaly Janelt.
One-versus-one against Kristoffer Ajer, Rogers’ first touch takes the ball inside the defender, creating a yard of space.
Without hesitation, the backlift of Rogers’ strike is short as he shoots with his weaker left into the bottom corner.
Off the field, Rogers is a confident and engaging individual. At Villa and with former team-mates, he is well-liked and among the more open talkers to the media.
Despite the club’s reluctance to allow players to talk in the mixed zone after games (especially after a loss), Rogers is impressive and speaks with a wise head on young shoulders. It is why Emery openly pushes him, even if the player has exceeded early expectations.
“He likes to mention I’m a Championship player a lot,” smiled Rogers. “That’s the relationship we have. He’s trying to push me because he wants me to get to that level and it’s about showing me I can. It’s not a negative thing — no way. It’s motivational.
“If I’m not 100 per cent at the level, he will be the first to let me know. I wouldn’t want to change that. I feel I’m getting better and I’m so happy with the relationship we’ve got.”
The rough plan was for Rogers to use the second half of the campaign as a gradual bedding-in process, aiming to hit the ground running in pre-season. But his maturity, versatility and growing impact have so far vindicated Emery’s role in pushing for Rogers ahead of schedule.
