Aston Villa’s resurgence has been nothing short of remarkable, it’s easy to forget it took them a month to score their first goal of the season, now they’re third in the Premier League and could even mount a challenge for the title.
Morgan Rogers has been a key part of that. Villa are on a nine-game win streak across all competitions, and in that time the forward has scored four goals and provided three assists, including the winner against West Ham on Sunday (December 14).
England are well stocked in the number ten role, with the likes of Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, and Rogers’ best mate Cole Palmer all vying for the position at next year’s World Cup.
Despite all those supremely talented big names, here is why we believe England’s number ten role is now Rogers’ to lose.
A standout performance against West Ham
Villa were 1-0 down after just 29 seconds in their 3-2 win at the London Stadium, seemingly caught off guard by West Ham after some sloppy passing. Unai Emery needed something to step up and bail them out to keep the pressure on the big boys at the top.
Rogers did exactly that. He was a thorn in Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s side all game, drifting in from the left and taking control of Villa’s attacking play before finally getting on the scoresheet with a tidy finish in the 50th minute to restore parity.
Emery’s side kept pushing for a winner, and Rogers was at the heart of everything they were doing. Eventually, he decided to take matters into his own hands, or feet, and his dipping shot from about 25 yards out ended up being the winner.
His goals will obviously get all the attention, as they should, but his underlying numbers were impressive too. Rogers ended the game having had 61 touches, four in the opposition box, and three passes into the final third, so he was clearly trusted by his teammates to be the difference maker.
How does Morgan Rogers compare to England competitors?
England and Thomas Tuchel have a luxury of having different types of number tens at their disposal. Rogers prefers to drift out to the left and then come inside, playing between the lines of the left-back and the centre-back.
Probably the most similar to Rogers is Palmer. They play in very similar ways, but the Chelsea star does it coming off of the right, so it’s not just that highly contested ‘cold’ celebration they have in common.
Bellingham is more of an 8/10. He wouldn’t go down as a traditional playmaker, he drops a little deeper and is often the link between attacking at the midfield for Real Madrid, using his ability to read the game to help build and create chances. He’s also been used as a wide midfielder by Xabi Alonso this season.
Man City’s Phil Foden is probably Rogers’ biggest threat for that number ten shirt at the moment. He’s in the form of his life, with his goal against Crystal Palace marking the first time in his career he’s scored in four consecutive Premier League games.
In terms of numbers, they’re all pretty equal, excluding Palmer, but that’s only because he’s been out injured for a vast majority of the season so far. Rogers has ten goal contributions across all competitions, Foden has 14, and Bellingham also has ten.
One thing that Rogers has over Foden is Tuchel’s favour. He’s featured in all of England’s squads since the German took over, starting six of his ten appearances. Foden has only featured in one camp, coming off the bench for the wins over Serbia and Albania.
Could they play together?
In theory, Tuchel could play all four of these players. Rogers could be on the left, with Foden in the ten, Palmer on the right, and Bellingham as more of an eight. The balance would be way off though, and it would be a crime to leave a player like Bukayo Saka out of the side.
Ultimately, it would be far too narrow. Rogers and Palmer would naturally drift centrally, and opposition full-backs would be able to create havoc, with their English counterparts exposed.
Tuchel has spoken several times that he will do what is best for the team as a whole rather than attempt to cram in every big name, something England have certainly been guilty of in the past, so don’t expect to see all four playing together any time soon. It would be cool though.
Verdict
There is still plenty of football to be played between now and the World Cup, but right now, Rogers is the best option to start in the number ten role. Yes, Foden has better numbers, but Rogers could have similar one if he was at City.
Villa are lucky to have Rogers on their books, and if they continue the way their going, there would be absolutely no reason for him to leave any time soon.