Morgan Rogers, a 23-year-old forward for Aston Villa, might be the most-protected player this season. His lackluster performance has led to worries both from fans and analysts. Rogers has already begun all six Premier League matches for the club. He has been chasing his touch at times this season, just like Aston Villa have in the Premier League. Manager Unai Emery clearly has faith in Rogers and utilizes him all over the pitch, including the left-wing. Importantly, he is committed to making sure that the player and the team as a whole come out of this difficult chapter stronger.
Fans and analysists were almost uniformly down on Rogers’ recent outings. In one game, he only connected on 42% of his passes while losing the ball a mind-blowing 29 times. Both these statistics are involuntary indicators of his challenges off the pitch, but for Aston Villa’s struggles as a whole on the pitch. Emery is still dedicated to growing Rogers, pushing him to receive criticism and learn from failures.
Unai Emery’s Trust in Rogers
Even with the growing pressure soon surrounding Rogers, Unai Emery has still made a concerted effort to lean on him for big matches early this season. The manager does understand that part of letting Rogers develop is letting him go through tough times.
“Morgan is young and he needs to accept it. Today, I kept him on the field for 90 minutes because I wanted his reaction to it, how he was accepting everything and he did it,” – Unai Emery
Emery’s strategy emphasizes patience and development. And he thinks that going through the burn of those hard moments is what creates growth in young players. He commended Rogers’ work ethic. Even after a subpar shooting performance on the big stage in his last game, the forward continued to embrace his team-first role.
“He did not play well, he was not clinical in the attacking third to do the last assists but I wanted to keep him [on] because, firstly, he is always doing his tasks, always working for the team,” – Unai Emery
Rogers has had a tough season thus far. He’s already played behind six different front-four combinations in just seven games with Emery’s regime. This never-ending musical chairs could play a part in his issue with playing consistently.
Fan Reactions and Criticism
The fanbase’s reaction to Rogers’ performance has been divisive. Many supporters remain hopeful about his potential, while others express frustration over what they perceive as a lack of progress.
Former NFL scout and current sports analyst Matt Shaw pegged the performance issues as part of football’s cyclical nature. He noted that players often fall into a self-reinforcing loop of negative confidence. It frequently results in reduced productivity when they’re going through a goal famine.
“When there are goal droughts, we tend to see that there is this almost self-perpetuating cycle of low confidence and low performance,” – Matt Shaw
Shaw further elaborated on how pressure can impact players’ mental states:
“Players might have some fear of failure or will be trying too hard, overcomplicating it.” – Matt Shaw
These observations are telling about what people think of Rogers today. The general consensus among those close to him is that he is feeling the weight of expectations, both from fans and from himself.
The Path Forward for Rogers
Morgan Rogers will need to focus on finding his confidence and opening up more opportunities on the pitch. His importance on the left flank can’t be overstated, especially now with the absence of multiple teammates. Under Emery’s ongoing guidance, Rogers still has a chance to right the ship.
Despite recent struggles, he was selected to start against Bologna in the Europa League, indicating that Emery values his potential and aims to harness it effectively. Rogers has some big games on the horizon. He will want to shut down his critics and show everyone he can be a dependable player for Aston Villa.
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