Unai Emery has praised one of his Aston Villa players ahead of the clash against Crystal Palace while also sharing his biggest ‘concern’.
Unai Emery has had to ride through a difficult period at Aston Villa. His side tasted four losses in a row before the international break, and now he aims to put that right.
Emery has been working hard on the training ground with his first-team stars, although many returned from the break with problems.
Amadou Onana and Ezri Konsa will miss the clash against Crystal Palace through injuries picked up on national duty while others were in red-hot form.
John McGinn scored twice for Scotland in the Nations League, and Ollie Watkins netted against Greece, with Morgan Rogers also making his England debut.
Unai Emery shares ‘concern’ for Morgan Rogers end product
Rogers was handed a new long-term contract at Aston Villa till 2030 and that was a reward for his form this term.
The 22-year-old has produced six goal involvements in all competitions but it’s his all-round game that has impressed the most, with Jamie Redknapp describing Rogers as ‘unplayable’.
The Englishman is already one of the best young talents on the planet however, one criticism directed at Rogers is his decision-making in the final third, often lacking a clinical edge in attack.
It’s a ‘concern’ shared by his boss Emery, who believes he can help Villa become more ruthless in the attacking phase.
“He is here with us 10 months ago, joining us in January and his progression has been fantastic, his process is increasing,” Emery said via Birmingham Live.
“He can get it. Even there is still work to do to increase more. The national team call for him is fantastic.
“He is always playing doing fantastic work, but I think he can help us be more clinical in the attacking third. This is my concern with him every day.”
Rogers statistics in 2024/25 reinforce Emery’s point
Rogers rise from playing in the Championship to starring in the Champions League is nothing short of remarkable, and he deserves immense credit for proving the doubters wrong.
As stated above, being more decisive with the final action is what can take the England international to the next level, and the statistics paint a picture of his struggles.
| Rogers 2024/25 Premier League stats | Statistic |
| Shots per game | 1.8 |
| Big chances missed | 5 |
| Goal conversion | 15% |
Missing five big chances shows that while he hasn’t been ruthless in attack, Rogers is always occupying dangerous positions, and the same applies to his lowly goal conversion.
Luckily, this is a part of his game that is only going to improve over time and at the of 22, it’s scary to think how good he could become.
