[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-emery-faces-villa-champions-league-test-without-rogers-tielemans":82,"category-counts-nav":96,"related-emery-faces-villa-champions-league-test-without-rogers-tielemans":106},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":85,"badge":86,"author":87,"excerpt":88,"date":89,"readTime":90,"image":91,"imageAlt":83,"tags":92,"body":94,"_path":95},"Emery’s Villa: Champions League Return Without Rogers and Tielemans","emery-faces-villa-champions-league-test-without-rogers-tielemans","football","Football: Analysis","Marcus Wright","Aston Villa’s European return is complicated by the departure of Morgan Rogers and Youri Tielemans.","2026-07-23 13:04:02","1 min read","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Femery-faces-villa-champions-league-test-without-rogers-tielemans.webp",[37,49,93],"Aston Villa","## Villa Enter the Champions League Group Stage Without Tielemans or Rogers\n\nAston Villa's return to the Champions League comes without two players who shaped how Unai Emery's side controlled matches and attacked last season. **Youri Tielemans** and **Morgan Rogers** have both departed, leaving Emery to begin the group stage with a restructured midfield and forward line.\n\nTielemans gave Villa tempo and control from central midfield. He recycled possession under pressure, switched play with long diagonals, and threaded passes into the final third. He also won the ball back. No one in the current squad offers that blend of distribution and defensive contribution. Emery can promote from within or adjust roles for existing players, but neither option replicates what Tielemans brought.\n\nRogers supplied a different quality. His pace in behind and ability to carry the ball at speed provided Villa's primary transition outlet and forced defenses to stretch wide. Without him, the creative burden shifts to the remaining attackers, and full-backs may need to push higher to compensate for lost width.\n\n\"We have to be smart about how we approach this,\" Emery said. \"The squad has changed, but the ambition remains the same. We will find a way to compete at the highest level.\"\n\nTraining at Bodymoor Heath has reflected the urgency. Sessions have centered on high-intensity pressing and quicker transitions, with coaching staff working through revised roles and building new combinations among the remaining players before the group stage begins.\n\nEmery has managed squad turnover before, but Champions League group football leaves less margin than domestic competition. The players still at the club need to absorb the production Tielemans and Rogers took with them, and any new arrivals must integrate on a compressed timeline.","\u002Farticles\u002Femery-faces-villa-champions-league-test-without-rogers-tielemans",[97,98,99,100,85,101,102,103,104,105],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","general","golf","mma","long-reads","tennis",[107,120,131],{"id":108,"stem":108,"path":109,"title":110,"category":85,"badge":111,"badgeType":112,"author":113,"authorRole":114,"authorInitials":115,"date":116,"readTime":117,"image":118,"imageAlt":110,"tags":9,"excerpt":119},"world-cup-quiz-tactical-blueprint-analyzing-the-legends","\u002Farticles\u002Fworld-cup-quiz-tactical-blueprint-analyzing-the-legends","Beyond the Quiz: Decoding World Cup Greatness Through Numbers","Feature","category","James Chen","Senior Football Analyst","JC","2026-07-14 05:34:41","6 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F1740\u002Flive\u002F60aa0c80-7dac-11f1-b976-0b9c15b0ccfc.jpg","World Cup trivia tests memory, but true greatness demands tactical analysis. We decode what separates legends from finalists.",{"id":121,"stem":121,"path":122,"title":123,"category":85,"badge":111,"badgeType":112,"author":124,"authorRole":125,"authorInitials":126,"date":127,"readTime":117,"image":128,"imageAlt":123,"tags":129,"excerpt":130},"shapoor-zadran-obituary-afghanistan-cricket","\u002Farticles\u002Fshapoor-zadran-obituary-afghanistan-cricket","Shapoor Zadran Dies Aged 38: The Quiet Architect of Afghan Cricket","Sarah Martinez","Transfer Correspondent","SM","2026-07-07 11:46:45","\u002Fimages\u002Farticles\u002Fshapoor-zadran-obituary-afghanistan-cricket.png","ICC Cricket World Cup, Afghanistan National Cricket Team","The death of Shapoor Zadran marks the end of an era for Afghan cricket, silencing a foundational voice too soon.",{"id":132,"stem":132,"path":133,"title":134,"category":85,"badge":135,"badgeType":136,"author":113,"authorRole":114,"authorInitials":115,"date":137,"readTime":138,"image":139,"imageAlt":134,"tags":140,"excerpt":141},"scotland-stun-argentina-12-try-nations-championship-thriller","\u002Farticles\u002Fscotland-stun-argentina-12-try-nations-championship-thriller","Scotland Outlast Pumas in 12-Try Cordoba Epic","Match Report","tag","2026-07-04 22:15:31","4 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F3e1e\u002Flive\u002F6a9e8ae0-77e4-11f1-8a96-09480cbd3e4c.jpg","Nations Championship, Rugby","Gregor Hiddleston's debut try headlines Scotland's 47-38 Nations Championship opener against Argentina in a points-frenzied contest."]