Aston Villa enter their West Midlands Derby clash against Wolves on Saturday in excellent form.
Villa are riding the crest of a wave following their 3-0 victory over Young Boys in the Champions League on Tuesday night, and that came after Premier League wins against West Ham, Leicester and Everton.
Unai Emery’s men have picked up where they left off last season and on Saturday, they have a great chance to make it four out of five wins in England’s top flight in 2024/25.
Ahead of that clash, Emery has multiple selection headaches to resolve before they host Wolves but one player who is guaranteed to start is Morgan Rogers.
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Morgan Rogers seeking first goal of the season vs Wolves
In a brilliant start to the campaign, Amadou Onana has stood out as Villa’s signing of the summer while January arrival Rogers has also impressed.
The 22-year-old has started in each of their first five games, including in the Champions League, where Rogers was dubbed ‘unplayable’ by TNT Sports lead commentator Darren Fletcher.
Unplayable is a word that perfectly describes the youngster’s performances so far, as he’s combined his pace and power to devastating effect.
Capable of using his unique upper body strength and agility to glide past his markers, Jamie Redknapp was left stunned by Rogers performance in the defeat against Arsenal after he bullied Declan Rice and Thomas Partey.
The Englishman has produced world-class displays for Villa but his unselfishness in front of goal has cost him the chance to score, with Rogers still yet to get on the scoresheet in 2024/25.
That could be about to change this weekend however, as Wolves haven’t kept a clean sheet in 16 matches, last shutting out an opponent in a 1-0 win over Sheffield United in February.
Their start to this campaign hardly fills their supporters with confidence in that narrative switching either as Gary O’Neil’s men have conceded 11 goals in their first four Premier League games, six of which were against Chelsea.
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How Morgan Rogers can exploit Wolves
In an attempt to stop Rogers from impacting the game, the Wolves midfield trio of Andre, Mario Lemina and Joao Gomes will try to shut him down.
As many teams have found out this season, stopping the threat of the Aston Villa gem is easier said than done as he’s a complete nuisance to defend against.
He’s incredibly quick off the mark and his freakish strength means he can hold off his opponents and drive through the heart of the team.
To find joy in this weekend’s clash, he will be looking to occupy the pockets of space between the Wolves midfield and defence.
That is where he can do the most damage, picking up the ball in those half spaces and either threading the ball through to Watkins or having a pop himself.
Rogers hasn’t done enough of the latter part this season and he must add a ruthless streak to his game, starting against Wolves on Saturday.
