The Rise of Morgan Rogers - Unai Emery’s Main Man
With big matches against PSG in the Champions League quarter-final, and what promises to be an exciting battle for a top 4 finish in the Premier League ahead, we dive into the PFF FC grades and metrics to analyse the performance of Morgan Rogers, who has been a standout performer for Aston Villa this season.
Positional Versatility
Morgan Rogers has only missed one match for Aston Villa in the Premier League due to a yellow card suspension. In 30 starts he has played 15 games as an attacking midfielder, 13 games as winger, and 2 as center forward. He has been playing many different roles for Villa this season, the heat-maps of his position in the last 4 Premier League games illustrates how versatile of a weapon he has been for Unai Emery, operating centrally, on the left and the right in possession.
Breaking Lines
Rogers has been vital at breaking the opposing lines of defence in every possible way. His positioning and connection with Youri Tielemans has allowed him to receive the most line-breaking passes in the Premier League this season (252), the most passes that have broken the midfield line (161), and the 2nd most amongst wingers/attacking midfielders at receiving passes breaking the attacking line (107).
As we have seen previously, he is one of the top players at receiving the ball opening his body, receiving 18.9% of passes turning his body to a more open position, which is 6th in the Premier League for players with at least 500 passes received.
Being the player who receives the most midfield line breaking passes, there is only the defensive line left to break, and he is 5th in the league in passes completed breaking the defensive line with 25, which helps him earn a through-ball passing grade of 92.1, which is 2nd in the league, and an overall passing grade of 85.8 (8th amongst wingers or attacking midfielders). Rogers has shown the ability to receive the ball on the turn and then execute in transitioning play into the final third, showing his importance in Unai Emery’s system.
That is not all, when he is not receiving or making a pass that breaks the midfield line of defence, he does it himself. Rogers is 4th in the league in ball carries breaking the midfield line and 1st in dribbles breaking the midfield line, making him first overall at midfield line breaks with the ball at his feet. We consider it a line break if a player goes through the line and not around, and he is successful 72.7% of the time when dribbling toward the inside of the pitch (5th in the league). This earns him the 4th best dribbling grade in the Premier League this season (86.1).
Creating chances and quick counter attacks
As good as he has been when it comes to line breaks, he has been even better at creating chances for his teammates. Rogers ranks 5th in the Premier League in passes leading to at least a dangerous position with 123. That represents 17.3% of his passes turning into at least a dangerous position, which is 3rd in the league (minimum of 200 passes attempted)
For passes creating at least a half-chance, Rogers ranks 2nd, only behind Salah, but top of the table as a percentage of passes (28 and 3.2% respectively), Rogers ranks top of the Premier League in creating clear chances, both on total number of clear chances and as a percentage of passes turning into clear chances (13 and 1.3% respectively).
His first assist against Brighton was a beautiful and not unfamiliar sight. Although most clear chances created usually are played much closer to the box, Morgan Rogers’ quick thinking and passing ability have aided in Aston Villa’s dangerous counter-attack, creating half chances and clear chances from their own half in transition around the middle of the pitch.
The data viz below illustrates where he has played his passes leading to dangerous positions or better, showing the versatility and ability to hit teams on the counter quickly.
Rogers has had 8 passes with a grade of +1 or better this season, which indicates passes with a higher level of difficulty (link for a more detailed information on how grades are given) second only to Mohamed Salah with 12 and tied with Kevin De Bruyne, which is great company.
Rogers is also second in the most passes intercepted leading to a dangerous position, only behind Evanilson. This is surprising, and illustrates his good instincts given how little Villa presses the opposing team in the final third, they are 19th in the league in that category only above Nottingham Forest.
On the Rise
Rogers’ rapid ascent in English football is marked by his adaptability and consistent development, transitioning from youth academies to becoming a key player in both the Premier League and the national team. Just last year he was playing in the Championship for Middlesbrough and now is an integral part of Aston Villa’s domestic and European campaigns.
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