Aston Villa are back in action in the Premier League once again this afternoon as they prepare to welcome Manchester City to Birmingham in the early kick-off.
The Villans will be hoping to bounce back from their 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest at the City Ground last time out, and are up against a team that is struggling.
It is not often that you can say that Pep Guardiola's team are vulnerable, but that is the case right now. The Cityzens have only won one of their last 11 matches in all competitions, losing eight of those games.
unai emery
This shows that this is a winnable match against the reigning Premier League champions and that the Villans are playing them at a good time, before they have a chance to strengthen in the January transfer window next month.
Unai Emery's side will have to play better than they did in their last match in the league, though, as goals from Nikola Milenkovic and Anthony Elanga in the final ten minutes of the game, including stoppage time, secured a 2-1 win for Forest.
The Spanish head coach could look to make some changes to his starting XI from that defeat, starting with dropping Morgan Rogers from the side.
Why Morgan Rogers should be dropped
The England international has only produced one goal and zero assists in his last 11 appearances in all competitions for club and country, and has gone three matches without a goal contribution.
Rogers has lost possession a whopping 51 times without scoring or assisting a goal for the Villans in the last three games in all competitions, which shows that he has been wasteful on the ball without offering much in the final third to make up for it.
The former Middlesbrough star has been a regular starter in the number ten position for Villa and produced some great moments at times, with four goals and six 'big chances' created in 16 appearances in the Premier League.
He has not been at the peak of his attacking powers in recent weeks, though, and that is illustrated by his one goal involvement in 11 games for Villa.
Morgan Rogers Vs Nottingham Forest
Minutes 90
Shots on target 0
Big chances created 0
Pass accuracy 77%
Duels won 6/18
Possession lost 16x
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Rogers struggled badly in the defeat to Nottingham Forest last time out, with both his work in and out of possession.
The 22-year-old star was bullied by the Forest defenders, losing a staggering 12 of his 18 duels throughout the match, and did not contribute with a single shot on target or 'big chance' created for his teammates.
Emery should, therefore, drop him to the bench for this clash with Manchester City and make the bold decision to unleash the rarely-seen Emiliano Buendia from the start.
Emi Buendia's struggles with Villa
The Argentine wizard has not started any of his seven appearances in the Premier League this season, and did not make a single appearance in the division during the 2023/24 campaign.
He suffered a knee injury in August 2023 that kept him out for 327 days and 56 competitive games for Villa, which he finally returned from for pre-season ahead of the current term.
Buendia
Buendia has scored one goal in 12 matches for the club in all competitions but only played 231 minutes in those outings, which shows that the attacking midfielder has not had too many opportunities to shine.
He did drop down to the U21 side earlier in the season to play against Fleetwood in the EFL trophy, though, and caught the eye with his performance in the middle of the park.
Emi Buendia Vs Fleetwood
Minutes 77
Shots on target 3
Goals 2
Duels won 6/10
Pass accuracy 85%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Villa number ten was a step above the rest in that match, scoring two goals in a 3-2 win for the young Villans.
Emery must, now, consider unleashing Buendia from the start for the first time in the Premier League this season, because Rogers has struggled of late and the Argentine magician has punished Manchester City with his quality on and off the ball in the past.
Emi Buendia magic against Manchester City
Back in the 2019/20 campaign, the mercurial playmaker was playing for Norwich City and played a huge role in their sensational 3-2 win over City.
The Cityzens were on an 18-match unbeaten run in the Premier League before they travelled to Carrow Road in September 2019 and were met with an impressive Canaries team featuring Buendia as part of their attack.
As you can see in the highlights above, Daniel Farke's Norwich side pulled off a shock result, beating the champions 3-2 at Carrow Road shortly after their promotion to the Premier League.
Those highlights also show how involved Buendia was in the match. The Argentine dynamo played a key role in all three of the goals, including a brilliant flick over now-Ballon d'Or-winning midfielder Rodri in the build-up to the second goal.
Emi Buendia Vs Man City (14/09/19)
Minutes 83
Big chances created 1
Assists 2
Dribbles completed 5/6
Duels won 10
Tackles won 4
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Norwich star showed off his quality in and out of possession, by winning ten duels and four tackles to go along with his contributions to the three goals.
Whilst this was a number of years ago, Ederson, John Stones, Kyle Walker, and Ilkay Gundogan - who could all feature for City today - all started that match against the Canaries.
Buendia has the quality to step up on the big stage, as shown by that performance, and has offered glimpses - in the EFL Trophy - of a return to form after his injury this season.
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Aston Villa have a lot to thank their former star for
Therefore, Emery should gamble on the rarely-seen star and drop Rogers, who has struggled, from the starting XI for the clash this afternoon.