Aston Villa are leaning heavily on the relentless efforts of John McGinn and Morgan Rogers, with both players emerging as the engine room of the team.
Morgan Rogers’ durability and importance to Aston Villa have been a constant theme this season. The 23-year-old England international is the only Villa player to have played every Premier League game, surpassing the 3,000-minute barrier. His nine league goals have been worth 14 points to the team, making him the most valuable scorer in the top flight until early February.
Villa’s attack revolves around Rogers as their primary ball-carrier and creative hub, but that reliance has also made them predictable and over-dependent. Manager Unai Emery has hardly considered resting him, even with the Europa League final against Freiburg approaching.
After the 1-1 draw against Bournemouth, Emery admitted they were “lucky to have” Rogers, a sentiment echoed across the league. When Rogers is off form, Villa feel it immediately. Earlier this season, club sources acknowledged that decisive quality in the final third usually comes from Rogers or Ollie Watkins.
At Turf Moor on Saturday, Villa’s lax defending meant they needed a late surge to salvage a 2-2 draw. Rogers notched his 107th club appearance across the last two campaigns, the most of any Premier League player in that period. Across Europe’s top five leagues, only Federico Valverde, Virgil van Dijk, and Aurelien Tchouameni have played more minutes.
Morgan Rogers has covered more distance than any other Premier League player this season. Villa have won more games
