Morgan Rogers was on the scoresheet for Aston Villa as they recorded a 3-1 win over Fulham on Saturday.
It is becoming a common theme – and one you don’t want to get used to – but Aston Villa fell behind again in a game. It’s the fourth time it has happened this season.Unai Emery was critical of Pau Torres for Fulham’s opener, when he allowed Raul Jimenez to run off him following a goal kick from Bernd Leno after just five minutes and slot the ball past Emi Martinez.
But it didn’t take Villa and Rogers too long to find the equaliser, with an element of fortune involved in the goal because it deflected into the back of the net.
Villa fans have seen it time and time again that their January transfer capture loves picking the ball up in the middle of the park and driving at the opposition with brute strength and speed.So much so that Rogers has been compared to Jude Bellingham this season and he must be loving those plaudits.
But one of the Premier League’s greatest-ever strikers offered a different view despite that goal in the capital for the attacking midfielder.
Alan Shearer urges Morgan Rogers to improve final third play for Aston Villa
You have to take the plaudits with the criticism in the modern game where there is more coverage and eyes on the prize than ever before.And who better to listen to than Alan Shearer, a man who scored an incredible 260 Premier League goals and is regarded as one of the best players of his generation?!
Whilst Shearer did praise the 22-year-old for his start, he thinks he needs to ‘improve’ on his finishing, especially with the chances he is getting, as he told The Rest is Football.“Rogers has had a great start,” said Shearer. “We have mentioned him once or twice already on the pod this season.
“His effort on goal (against Fulham) took a deflection, but he was brilliant in everything he did, other than his finishing.“The one thing that he perhaps has to do, improve on, is his finishing because he gets into so many good positions, he has had so many chances.”Do the numbers back up Shearer’s criticism of Rogers?
When Rogers is being told he could become a £100 million player, then you know the talent is serious and fans should be excited.
But so far, he has a long way to go and the numbers from Shearer’s criticism back it up because he has only scored two goals in all competitions this term.You sense the player can do less to do more because, sometimes, his strength becomes his weakness.
Martin Keown highlighted Rogers’ issues on the ball and how he holds onto it for far too long, as he displayed during the goalless draw against Manchester United before the international break.