Liverpool v Chelsea - Carabao Cup Fourth Round
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Morgan Rogers is one Chelsea player whom Manchester United goalkeeper Senne Lammens will not be looking forward to seeing this weekend.
Chelsea welcome United to Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with both men expected to start. Rogers has been a revelation for the Blues since joining from Aston Villa during the summer, while Lammens is United’s first-choice goalkeeper.
Rogers’ recent performance against Liverpool was “strange”, according to Arsenal legend Alan Smith. But the attacking midfielder still managed to score from the penalty spot, while his other displays for Chelsea this season have undoubtedly been bright ones.
That will not come as a surprise to Lammens, who has been absolutely punished by the 24-year-old in the past. Going into Saturday’s game between Chelsea and United, the Belgian will be worried about the danger Chelsea’s £117m signing poses.
Can you remember a worse performance than Wesley Fofana's vs Liverpool? Tell us your ratings in the comments 👇
Evidently the Stuttering technique for taking a penalty has only a 50 something % success rate. So pls don't do it lads!
Have you seen a worse penalty? It went so high it was somewhat impressive
You are right, he wasn’t bad for most of the game. But I can’t remember a Chelsea player having 2 horrendous moments like that in the same game. The handball is ludicrous and it’s one of the worst penalties ever
In Villa’s 2-1 win over United at Villa Park last season, Rogers scored twice, including an incredible curler from the edge of the box. In total, he took seven shots that day, according to Sofascore. Lammens was peppered in his goal.
Three of Rogers’ shots were on target, one hit the woodwork and three were blocked. Rogers did not come to play around.
He also missed one big chance so could have had a hat-trick. According to FotMob, both of Rogers’ goals had an xG value of 0.03, showing how difficult those chances were. The first one in particular will be difficult for Lammens to forget.
For a goalkeeper, it is an awful goal to concede — a strike he could do nothing about. Hopefully, Rogers can do the same at the weekend. For United, it will be a concern that Rogers can create high-quality outcomes from low-probability positions, which makes it difficult for Lammens to solely rely on his shot-stopping ability.
It will be interesting to see how Xabi Alonso uses him. With Joao Pedro unavailable, Rogers is an option to lead the line. The England international started up front in Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday.
However, it was an experiment that did not work, meaning that Alonso could opt for a more natural option like Danny Welbeck when United make the trip to Stamford Bridge. For Rogers, the key question is whether he can recreate that damage against United by exploiting the space between the midfield and defence.
His previous performance suggests that United must be wary of allowing him to receive the ball on the edge of the box, where he can shift onto his right foot and generate shots before defenders can close him down. For Lammens, the challenge is not simply stopping Rogers’ efforts, but also organising his defence to limit those shooting opportunities in the first place.
If United sit too deep, Rogers could find room to shoot from distance; if they push up aggressively, his ability to carry the ball into space could become equally dangerous. United’s defensive shape and ability to close down Rogers early may therefore prove just as important as Lammens’ shot-stopping. It will be something to keep an eye on as the match plays out.