Morgan Rogers reflects on his formative period under Unai Emery, asserting that Emery has been the perfect manager for him at this stage of his career. Rogers is eagerly embracing the chance to further his rapid ascent, having transitioned from playing in the Championship to competing in the Champions League in just a few months. Aston Villa secured Rogers from Middlesbrough for an initial £8 million, which could rise to £15 million with add-ons, back in January. Emery was impressed by the forward’s performance when Villa faced Boro in the FA Cup’s third round last season. Since joining Villa, Rogers has shown significant development, making an impressive start to the season. He has participated in all eight of Villa’s Premier League matches and contributed to both Champions League victories over teams like BSC Young Boys and Bayern Munich. On Saturday, he scored his second goal of the season in Villa’s 3-1 triumph at Fulham, marking the club’s first league win in three games following consecutive draws with Ipswich Town and Manchester United.
Morgan Rogers said, “The manager wasn’t happy and we weren’t happy about those games (against Ipswich and United). We were in the position where we could have won those games, probably should have won those games, so we were disappointed. He [Emery] focused highly on controlling the game because he knew on counter attacks they are dangerous. Their front four are deadly. You saw against Man City the trouble they caused on the counter attack so we knew if our structure, if our play in possession wasn’t right we would get exploited. I think that is what we did well. When we lost the ball and were out of possession we did really well to stop their threat. They have been causing loads of teams problems all season. The main thing for us today was how we were when we lost the ball and out of possession, knowing they could be deadly. I think we controlled the game really well and that is why we dominated. We starved them of chances and that is why we won. He [Emery] is a genius. He breathes the game, he breathes the next game. He senses how the games are going to go and nine times out of 10, or even 10 times out of 10, it goes that way. He knows how the game is going to pan out and knows what we have to do to win the game. If we do it, we will win the game. He is a genius. You can see it on the pitch in the way we play. Everyone knows to a tee what we have to do and when we do it, we pull off performances like that. Him, the staff, they are so hard and demanding, physically and mentally but it pays off. On a matchday you can see why he does what he does in the week. As long as you stick to the plan, listen to what he is saying and buy into what he is saying, take it in, like I did when I first came.”
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