How does Aston Villa ace fit in at Chelsea under Enzo Maresca? – Opinion

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think about the probables that would come through at Chelsea with Morgan Rogers in the team is how fluid and dynamic the players are, with him and Cole Palmer. The thing with both of them is that you can start one in the wide role while the other is in the midfield, and then you can start interchanging them across the game sequences.

This will create a lot of doubts in opponents minds but also give them varied problems to deal with, especially given how both of them are quite able to play in the middle as well as wide zones.

How can Morgan Rogers tactically fit under Enzo Maresca?

So one thing you need to understand with Maresca is that he comes from Pep Guardiola’s line of coaches, so he is someone that highly wants to emphasise playing high possession systems where wingers can slot in inside roles or where playmakers are starting wide. Don’t get confused; it’s all to give more passing congruency and access more fluid rotations. And Rogers fits right into most of what the former Foxes head coach demands.

The former Middlesbrough forward thrives cutting inside from the left, which is quite similar to the roles that Riyad Mahrez or Jack Grealish operated under Pep. So here Enzo can use Rogers in an inverted wide forward role on the left in a 4-3-3 or 3-2-5 setup, and he would be tasked with operating in wide spaces (you can say more of a pocket player). The thing with him being here is that Rogers can give you a more technically secure and ball-retaining option.

And as we saw from Rogers along the previous season, he has that knack for finding space in advanced zones between midfield and defence, which can become a critical aspect of the positional play model under Maresca. Given how the 22-year-old has that capacity to receive on half-turns and then exploit the gaps in zonal systems. He is someone who is quite good at also linking up in small and narrow triangles (particularly with overlapping fullbacks, i.e., which also plays ideally for Cucurella).

This could also see him combine well with Enzo Fernández whilst making those advanced movements.

Strengths

Given that he comes in as a homegrown talent, it adds to his value. And then, as we saw, he has that capacity to cover over the front line. Moreover, given his age, he would go on to have a significant resale value given his extremely high ceiling.

Weaknesses

Chelsea at the moment have quite a bloated squad, and they need to trim it to accommodate someone like Rogers.

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Author Opinion

I think it would be an absolutely hot signing if Chelsea can pull this off. It is going to be quite difficult to convince Aston Villa to sell him, and it would also take a huge fee, but given the quality he has and the consistency he can provide, I think he is surely one of the signings that can raise the floor of the current side.