'He is a genius - everyone knows to a T what we are going to do and what we need to do. And when we do it, we pull up performances like that': Aston Villa star highlights key influence of Unai Emery

Aston Villa are back in the top four and targeting Champions League qualification once again under Unai Emery, following their impressive 3-1 win away against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Morgan Rogers, who crowned another good performance with a goal on Saturday, has been a standout performer for Aston Villa this term, with the 22-year-old forward kicking on after his first half-season in the Premier League in 2023/24.

Having started all eight of their games domestically, Rogers has contributed two goals and two assists from attacking midfield. Reflecting on the game against Fulham, Rogers highlights to FourFourTwo why things are working so well at the moment and the genius of Unai Emery.

Aston Villa forward Morgan Rogers describes "best performance this season"

Was the win over Fulham the best result in the Premier League so far?

I think it was definitely the best performance in the Premier League this season. I thought from start to finish, bar the last five minutes where they tried to get back into the game, I thought we really controlled the game. We felt really strong, really comfortable out there, we were all on the same wavelength.

We’re still going to build on it and improve, because we know we can get better, but I thought pretty much on a whole, I think that’s probably our best performance in the Premier League.

Was it important to get back to winning ways after draws with Ipswich and Manchester United?

Yeah, the manager wasn’t happy and we weren’t happy about those games. I think we were in a position where we probably should have won them. We were disappointed, so we knew we had to put it right. And I think it’s a tough opponent where we came up against [Fulham], they have been really good, especially at home. We knew it was going to be difficult, but I thought we had that extra focus, that extra motivation.

You link up well with Ollie Watkins, how has that developed?

It’s good to play with Ollie. You see what he does at international level as well. I’m playing with him every week now and it’s just about learning and understanding each [other’s] runs and I think we’re getting better and better playing together as a duo.

It's the same when Jhon [Durán] comes on and when Emi [Buendía] comes on, we all play with each other, we all work on combinations and combining in training and we know each other’s strengths, it’s just about applying that really.

You scored the equaliser, which went in via a deflection. Should it stand as your goal?

It was 100 per cent my goal, no doubt about it.

How important was the penalty save of Emi Martinez, when the score was 1-1?

That was a massive moment in the game. I think we were on top and then out of nowhere they get a penalty and I think that’s why he is probably the best in the world, because he pulls off stops like that in crucial moments when stuff is going against you.

And that can completely change the game, if that goes in, 2-1, you’re on the back foot again, but he saved it.

How would you describe the influence of Unai Emery?

He breathes the game, he breathes the next game, he senses how the games are going to go and nine times out of ten, even ten times out of ten, it goes that way. He knows how the game is going to pan out, he knows what we need to do to win the game and if we do it, we win the game.

He is a genius, you can see that on the pitch, you can see the way how we set up and the way we play, everyone knows to a T what we are going to do and what we need to do. And when we do it, we pull up performances like that.

Do you often sit one-on-one with him to analyse your game?

Yeah, 100 per cent, him, the staff, all of them. They are so demanding, physically, mentally, everything. But it pays off. You can see it on a matchday, why he does what he does in the week and why it pays off.

As long as you stick to the plan, you buy into what he says and you take it in like I do when I first came – I’ve come a long way, but I know there is still a bit of improvement and he is hammering me about that. I just want to improve and get better and he is the perfect person for that.

What did Emery say before the game against Fulham?

He focused highly on controlling the game, because he knew on counterattacks they’re dangerous. Their front four are deadly, we saw it against Manchester City, how much problems they caused on the counterattack, so we knew that if our structure, the way we were in possession wasn’t right, we would get exploited. And that’s what I think we did really well.

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I think when we lost the ball and when we were out of possession, we did well to stop [them], because they’ve been causing lots of teams problems all season. So I think that was the main one for us today, when we were out of possession. I think we controlled that really well. And that’s why we dominated the game, we starved them of many opportunities and I think that’s why we ultimately won the game.

When looking to the England national team, there are a lot of good midfielders, like Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden. Are they an inspiration for you, like to follow them towards the Three Lions?

It is a motivation for me, they’re all great players who are doing well. I watch every England game and support them. I love it and hopefully if the times come, I’m ready for my opportunity and my moment, but it’s just about playing the game, really.

I don’t look past the next game, so that’s not something that I think about when I play football, as you play football to enjoy and to be the best version of me as possible.

How do you look towards the next game against Bologna on Tuesday?

We’re looking forward to it, Champions League nights have been something special. It’s a different competition, different challenge for us back at home, in front of our fans for a Champions League night, there is nothing better than that.