[Getty Images]Mike Taylor - BBC Radio WM reporterWed, November 26, 2025 at 10:46 AM UTC·2 min read"I've tried a bit in training, probably not as much as I should…" said Morgan Rogers after his free-kick left Leeds frozen like a spot-the-ball photograph. "Coach Austin [McPhee]'s always banging on at me to try more, to keep doing it after training so yeah, I'm gonna keep going."
Good grief. Imagine how good he will be when he really gets the hang of it.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThat's nine wins from 11 now putting Aston Villa in a Champions League qualifying place and into a top-eight slot in the Europa League table, on course for their overall targets for this season.
During the early weeks of the campaign, the results maybe lagged a little behind some of the performances. Now it is the other way round - a positive sign.
While winning, Villa collectively seem to be working towards something this season rather than already being at their full potential. The thrashing of Bournemouth excepted, it still feels like there is more to add. Like Rogers, imagine how good they will all be when they really get the hang of it.
Unai Emery seldom talks of his team reaching a standard, but rather as if they are on some eternal journey of progression.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement"Last month we achieved very good wins against Tottenham, Manchester City and Bournemouth," he said on Sunday. "But how we were coming back after the break was our challenge before the match and how the players were again getting our standard higher than at the beginning of the season."
Onwards, to two fixtures which on all known evidence appear among the least taxing of the season. Villa played the Swiss side Young Boys last year in the Champions League and, after adjusting to the artificial pitch in Bern, won comfortably. Sunday against Wolves may be a derby, but one against opponents at their lowest ebb in years.
Both matches look straightforward, but so did the Go Ahead Eagles game, one of Villa's few recent mishaps. The memory of Emery's face at the end of that match ought to be motivation enough for the players to avoid tripping up again.
Listen to full commentary of Aston Villa v Young Boys at 17:45 GMT on Thursday on BBC Radio WM's FM frequencies.
And tune into The West Midlands Football Phone-In from 18:00 on weeknights
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