Pursuit of perfection puts Morgan in a spin
MORGAN ROGERS has compared Pep Guardiola and Unai Emery to washing machines as he opened the door on their relentless pursuit of perfection.
As Aston Villa’s recent £15million signing prepares to return to the club where he had hoped to make his name, he weighed up the respective merits of the two Premier League managers and saw more similarities than differences.
Asked how the two matched up, Manchester
City old boy Rogers said: “I’d say that they are tactically very good and clear in how they want their teams to play. How they are structured, how positioning is so vital – they both see it as the most important thing.
“They’re like washing machines. They just do the same thing all the time. The message is: ‘Be consistent, be consistent.’ It’s repeat, repeat and repeat.
“It’s relentless, that’s why they are the best managers in the world in my opinion. They are so relentless, they are so on to you.
“But you see the performances and results that they pull off. It’s no coincidence because all week their tactical awareness and understanding is on another level to anything else I’ve ever seen.”
Rogers was just 17 when Manchester City raided West Bromwich Albion for the England junior international (right).
Despite a glut of talent at the
Hawthorns at that time, the striker was seen very much as the jewel in the crown at the Black Country club. That was reflected in the price paid – an initial
£4.5m rising to £7m depending on appearances.
It didn’t work out and Morgan moved to Middlesbrough, from where Emery picked him out after he starred in an FA Cup third-round tie between the two clubs three months ago.
Rogers added: “I was with the first team all the time at Manchester City - Pep is big on that. He likes large numbers in his groups so I was around them quite a bit when I was there. You get a taste for it and, if you perform, then you stay there. It’s as simple as that. He rewards good trainers and good performances in training. It’s the same with Unai – 100 percent. He will have younger players in first-team training if they perform well in the sessions. They believe they will be back if they do well.
“And you’re seeing young players on the bench most weeks now at both clubs. They’re big on youth development.
“If they are working on a specific area with a young player, they’ll get help from the first team. That’s massive for young players. When I was in that position, Pep used to do that stuff with me and you don’t forget it. It just sticks in your brain.”
City, held at home by Arsenal on Sunday, are strong favourites at 1-4 to collect three vital points at the Etihad tonight. Villa, who beat City 1-0 at Villa Park in December, can be backed at around 10-1 to complete a famous double.