It was 60 days in the past when the young forward stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, looking confused while the Villa manager admonished him for failing to anticipate a through-ball. At that point, with the team went six without a win, the question was if Rogers' form were an indicator or the reason for the team's wider issues.
“When Rogers netted his second… Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide, and bellowed in delight.”
On Sunday, however, the touchline reaction proved to be decidedly more positive. When the England international curled home his second strike to reclaim Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician ripped off his jacket, opened his arms and roared. The team marched on to ten wins in a row and after failing to win their initial half-dozen games, are somehow only three points behind the leaders Arsenal.
Is This Team Serious Challengers?
That’s an exceptionally difficult query to address. Past precedent, the perceived status of Villa, indicates otherwise. Furthermore, their performances haven't been wholly dominant during this run, while the wins have stacked up.
As per statistical analysis, twice all season have Villa registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a team who have just won a ten-match winning streak, Villa seem strangely fragile – however right now the fine lines are going in their favour.
The Winning Formula
The current approach looks like to trade blows with an opponent before hoping Rogers to rescue them with a couple of clinical strikes. It happened at Leeds, it occurred against West Ham, and it happened when facing Manchester United.
Rogers' first goal stemmed from an exquisite effort, arced just inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. His brace-completing goal was essentially a somewhat messier replica of goal number one as he pounced on a setup by his strike partner.
“Perhaps Rogers’ right foot is becoming like Arjen Robben’s left: just because you know he’s going to whip the ball into the top corner doesn’t mean you can stop him.”
Can It Last?
Reason suggests otherwise. Against United, Manchester United registered more efforts and more efforts on goal. They have secured their last eight victories by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in all but one of those fixtures.
A reversion to average might be the most significant challenge they have to face as the season progresses. Their key man, in all likelihood, will not continue to drilling the ball into the top corner forever.
Reasons for Optimism
Could it be another reality whereby, instead of outcomes regressing to match displays, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Key players might still rediscover their best form.
- The main striker could start adding to his goal tally.
- The attacking talent may rediscover the player he resembled at Borussia Dortmund.
- The defensive duo are due to return from injury, fortifying a periodically leaky defence.
This could contain the potential of a genuine bid, but they surely can continue to depend solely on a single individual.
Savoring the Moment
However, this is a surprise. Nobody thought Aston Villa would occupy in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely two months ago, nobody thought the young forward by the end of the year would be spearheading a hunt for the title and appearing as an essential England player.
The current run should be enjoyed precisely because it feels so unlikely. As Rogers stood in front of the Villa faithful at the final whistle orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. Such periods do not happen often and ought to be celebrated.
