Morgan Rogers explains key change helping him hit top form for Aston Villa
Villa star Morgan Rogers believes he’s playing the best football of his career after revealing the change in mindset which revitalised his season.
Rogers scored twice for the second weekend running as Villa beat Manchester United on Sunday to record their 10th win in a row in all competitions.
The England international took his tally for the Premier League campaign to seven as Unai Emery’s men moved back to within three points of leaders Arsenal.
Villa have now won 16 of their last 18 matches following a dreadful start which saw them fail to win any of their first six.
Rogers, crowned PFA young player of the year after scoring 14 goals in all competitions last season, also struggled in those early weeks, at one stage being sarcastically cheered by some sections of the Villa Park crowd after completing a pass in September’s 1-0 win over Bologna.
But he believes a decision to be more selfish and “go for goal” more often has helped spark his turnaround.
Rogers told VillaTV: “I have definitely changed my mindset in terms of trying to score more goals this season. At the start of the season I was trying to play balls in behind and they weren’t coming off.
“Once one goes in you get that bit more confidence and a bit more belief. I am in a good moment right now.”
He continued: “I feel like I’m playing the best I’ve ever played.
“I’m the most confident but that’s also within the team. The team is the most confident it’s been since I’ve been here.
“It’s no surprise individual performances rise when we’re doing well as a collective. We’re all confident in each other, the manager’s confident in us and we go out there and we feel like we’re going to win every game.”
Villa next go to Chelsea on Saturday where another win would see them equal the club’s all-time record of 11 in a row.
But there are still many observers who remain unconvinced at their ability to challenge for the title, with data analysts Opta giving them little more than a five per cent chance of lifting the trophy at the end of the season.
Rogers believes the manner of Sunday’s win over United, when Villa were some way from their best, bodes well for the rest of the campaign.
He said: “The most important thing is that we were nowhere near our best and we still found a way to win, to be determined, to stick in there, not concede and then get the goals.
“I think that’s a sign of a really good team and something within us to have that belief. There are different ways to win a game and that was a nice.
“The team’s playing unbelievably well right now and we feel like we can beat every team. It’s a nice feeling to be in that dressing room at the moment.
“I always want to improve from the season before and keep getting better.
“I think I had a good season last year but maybe tailed away a bit at the end.
“I didn’t want that to happen this year, I wanted to start well and that didn’t happen, but I’m glad I’m in a good moment right now.”
