Aston Villa’s European dream could well be over after a 4-2 defeat to Olympiacos in the first leg of their Conference League semi-final.
Unai Emery will need to give his team a solid team talk ahead of their clash against Brighton and Hove Albion this afternoon as they seek to return to winning ways in the Premier League.
Several of his players failed to deliver against the Greek champions in midweek, proving unable to shine when it mattered most.
Morgan Rogers was one of the main underperformers during the first leg, and he could be dropped against Brighton.
Morgan Rogers game in numbers vs Olympiacos
The winger was unleashed in the starting XI for the Midlands side but struggled to really get involved.
During his 74 minutes on the pitch, he took only 36 touches along with completing just 17 of his 22 attempted passes. Rogers also failed to deliver a single accurate cross or create a big chance, but he did attempt five dribbles, succeeding with two.
Goals
0
Assists
0
Key passes
1
Total shots
3
Possession lost
9
From a defensive viewpoint, the youngster was also poor, winning just five of his ten contested duels while losing possession nine times as Villa succumbed to defeat.
His display could see him dropped to the bench for the clash against the Seagulls this afternoon, which means Emery may make a change of formation to a 4-4-2 in order to unleash Jhon Duran, who enjoyed a solid cameo against Olympiacos.
Jhon Duran’s statistics this season
The Colombian striker came on for Rogers with just over 15 minutes remaining, subsequently succeeding with 100% of both his attempted passes and ground duels contested.
He also managed two shots during his brief time on the pitch while also winning the penalty from which Douglas Luiz missed, but it was a lively performance from the youngster.
Duran has scored six goals across all competitions this term, yet has started only nine times, having to play second fiddle to Ollie Watkins.
If Emery does move to a 4-4-2 system, it could see Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby operating on either flank, with Duran partnering the Englishman up top.
The £30k-per-week gem was lauded for having a “weapon” of a left foot by talent scout Jacek Kulig earlier this season, with Emery in need of more magic from his promising starlet.
Despite starting only two league games, the 20-year-old has succeeded with 40% of his dribble attempts, scored three goals, taken 0.8 shots per game and has a goal conversion rate of 20%, which proves that if he was given more time on the pitch, then these stats could certainly improve.
Could the clash against Brighton present the player with an opportunity from the starting XI given how impressive he was against Olympiacos?
Only time will tell, but if he doesn’t start receiving more game time, the Colombian could well be keen to move on to pastures new in the summer.
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