It was two months prior when the young forward found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, seeming perplexed as his coach scolded him for failing to anticipate a through-ball. Back then, with the team went six without a win, the question was if his displays were an indicator or a cause of the team's wider issues.
“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”
This weekend, though, the touchline reaction was entirely decidedly more positive. When Rogers drilled in his second strike to restore the lead for Villa, Emery ripped off his winter coat, threw his arms wide and shouted in triumph. Villa marched on to ten wins in a row and after failing to win their opening six matches, are somehow a mere three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.
Is Aston Villa Serious Challengers?
This is an exceptionally difficult query to address. The historical record, a general sense of the club, suggests not. Additionally, they've rarely been entirely convincing during this run, while the positive results have piled up.
Per statistical analysis, in only two games has the side had an xG more than 0.5 greater than the other team. For a team who have put together 10 in a row, Villa seem curiously susceptible – but right now the tight outcomes are falling their way.
The Reliant Strategy
The prevailing tactic looks like to trade blows with rivals before hoping their talisman to rescue them with a couple of crisp finishes. This occurred against Leeds, it happened against West Ham, and again when facing United.
His opener came from a superb shot, bent right inside the upright from the edge of the area. For his second was essentially a somewhat messier replica of the opener as he pounced on a pass from Watkins.
“Rogers’ right foot is now akin to Robben’s legendary left: forewarned does not mean forearmed, and stopping him is another matter entirely.”
Is It Sustainable?
Logic says not. In the recent win, the opposition registered more shots and more shots on target. They have secured their last eight victories by a single goal. They have allowed goals in all except one of those games.
A statistical correction may well be the biggest rival the club have to face in the near future. The forward, in all likelihood, cannot maintain blasting the football past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.
Reasons for Optimism
Perhaps there is a different scenario in which, instead of results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Important figures could still rediscover their best form.
- Ollie Watkins may begin to finding the net regularly.
- The attacking talent could transform into the player he was during his peak.
- The defensive duo are due to come back from the treatment room, bolstering a periodically leaky defensive unit.
Perhaps there is in that the possibility of a title challenge, but they surely cannot keep relying on Morgan Rogers.
Relishing the Unlikely
However, nobody expected this. Few believed Villa would be in a Champions League place in December. And certainly back in October, nobody thought Rogers now would be leading a hunt for the title and appearing as an essential Three Lions star.
The current run is to be savoured precisely because it seems so surreal. When the match-winner stood in front of the Villa faithful when the game ended conducting the cheers, he appeared to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These spells do not happen often and ought to be celebrated.
