Aston Villa have no time to rest now after their breathless 3-2 win over Everton last time out in the Premier League, as Champions League football finally gets underway for Unai Emery‘s excited camp on Tuesday night.
Emery would have loved the passion and drive from his team that saw them pick up a comeback win against Sean Dyche’s Toffees, hopeful that this resilience to dig deep and pick up dramatic results stands them in good stead for the esteemed tournament.
The former Arsenal manager has, of course, managed at this level before, but many of his players have never tasted action when it comes to Europe’s elite competition.
Morgan Rogers could be one of the unlucky few to not make the cut for the starting XI against Young Boys tonight, after a wasteful showing versus Everton last time out.
Rogers’ performance vs Everton
The former Manchester City youngster could find his spot taken up by a different Villa body in Switzerland, based on his poor display against the Toffees in the attacking midfield area.
Away from the likes of Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran in attack who fired home the vital goals to help Villa pick up a dramatic three points, Rogers would fluff the opportunities that fell to him, with two big chances missed off the 22-year-old’s back.
Further, the Villa number 27 might well find he’s dropped to the substitutes bench for his side’s Champions League opener owing to his constant wayward passing against Everton, with possession squandered 15 times by the attacker in total.
In stark contrast, his composed midfield teammate Youri Tielemans would register 126 accurate passes from his staggering 147 touches of the ball, with the Belgian star standing out as a creative spark constantly aiming to cut the Toffees open.
Away from his haphazard passing, Rogers was also weak in asserting himself in duels with only four successful ones managed from 15 attempted.
Tielemans will know his spot in Emery’s XI is concrete, whilst his 22-year-old counterpart will be anxious about his prospects of starting against Young Boys, as Emery assesses now what to do with his lineup if Rogers is given the boot.
The players who could replace Rogers
Of course, Emery might well keep his faith in Rogers here, who continues to look like a promising gem for Villa who just needs a little more polishing.
But, there were some exciting cameos off the bench from other midfielders last match, including the “unbelievable” Ross Barkley – as he was described by former teammate Andros Townsend – who would be comfortable playing in that lone attacking midfield spot.
Barkley’s numbers vs Everton | |
|---|---|
Stat | Barkley |
Minutes played | 45 |
Goals scored | 0 |
Assists | 1 |
Touches | 45 |
Accurate passes | 42/43 (98%) |
Key passes | 1 |
Accurate long balls | 4/4 |
Stats by Sofascore | |
The ex-Everton man would help his current employers ultimately win the back-and-forth contest against his former club, as Barkley would tee up another second-half substitute in Jhon Duran to power home a stunning long-range winner.
Alongside that, Barkley was just stylish on the ball whenever a pass came his way, with only one misplaced pass in the contest from 43 attempted.
The 30-year-old also has experience on his side when it comes to Champions League football, amassing six appearances in the illustrious competition in the past when on the books at Chelsea, before his playing days saw him return to Villa.
There could even be a tweak of formation and plenty of other changes made, with Barkley playing as a holding midfielder when thrown into the action versus the Toffees, but he’s more than comfortable at playing further forward.
Whatever line-up does take to the field in Switzerland, Emery will pray that his players give it all they have, as the high-stakes drama of Champions League football gets underway.
