The Debrief speaks to Unai Emery about Morgan Rogers’ availability between the lines and why it meant he would always come good for Aston Villa; plus: David Moyes’ conundrum with Beto at Everton and the big call that Ruben Amorim got right at Anfield
Welcome to The Debrief, a Sky Sports column in which Adam Bate uses a blend of data and opinion to reflect on some of the key stories from the latest Premier League matches. This week:
- Exclusive Emery insight into Rogers’ role
- Stats highlight Beto conundrum for Moyes
- Elusive Cunha key as Fernandes rewarded
Rogers between the lines for Villa
Highlights from Aston Villa’s 2-1 win at Tottenham
Finding space against Tottenham’s midfield is not easy. Morgan Rogers managed to carve out just enough of it thanks to a superb touch before lashing the ball into the net to provide the launchpad for Aston Villa’s comeback win at Spurs on Sunday.
It was Rogers’ first goal of the season for Villa after what has been a difficult start for him – even being jeered by sections of his own support after finally completing a pass against Bologna. But Unai Emery stuck by him because he knows what he can do.
One statistic highlights this more clearly than any other. Genius IQ data allows us to identify how many times a player is available to receive the ball between the lines. Rogers has been available 78 times in the Premier League already so far this season.
That is the most of any player, and almost double that of the player third on the list. It is a rare ability, one that helped him provide an assist to Donyell Malen in Villa’s previous game against Burnley and explains why Emery backed him to turn his form around.
Speaking to Emery about this on Friday, showing him the data, he told Sky Sports: “He is a No 10. Whether playing inside or moving there from outside to inside, it is his best position. When we signed him, we watched him and identified how he could help us.
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