It was 60 days prior when Morgan Rogers was standing on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered while the Villa manager admonished him for not reading a through-ball. At that point, as the club failed to win in six, it wasn't clear whether his performances were a sign or the source of 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 manager's outburst was decidedly more positive. As Rogers swept in his second to reclaim his side's advantage, the boss ripped off his winter coat, spread his arms and roared. Villa marched on to a 10th successive win and despite not winning their opening six matches, are somehow just three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.
Is Aston Villa Legitimate Challengers?
That’s a particularly tough query to address. History, a general sense of the club, suggests not. Additionally, their performances haven't been entirely convincing in many games, while the wins have piled up.
Per the data, twice all season have Villa registered an xG more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a club which has just won ten consecutive victories, Villa appear strangely fragile – however right now the fine lines are swinging for them.
The Reliant Strategy
Their recent policy appears to be to exchange chances with an opponent and then rely on their talisman to save the day with a couple of crisp finishes. It happened against Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and once more against United.
Rogers' first goal originated from a superb shot, bent precisely inside the upright from the edge of the area. For his second proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one capitalizing on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.
“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.”
Is It Sustainable?
Logic says not. In the recent win, Manchester United had a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. Villa have secured their last eight victories by just one goal. They have allowed goals in all except one of those matches.
A reversion to average might be the biggest rival they must confront as the season progresses. Their key man, surely, cannot maintain drilling the football into the net's top corner forever.
Reasons for Optimism
Could it be an alternative path in which, instead of results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Important figures may yet rediscover their best form.
- The centre-forward may begin to scoring again.
- The attacking talent could transform into the player he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
- The injured centre-backs are due to come back from the treatment room, strengthening a periodically leaky defence.
This could contain the potential for a sustained push, however, it is improbable can continue to depend solely on one man.
Savoring the Moment
But then, this was unforeseen. Few believed the team would sit in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely two months ago, nobody thought Rogers now would be at the forefront of a championship pursuit while looking like an essential Three Lions star.
This winning streak should be enjoyed precisely because it seems so surreal. As the match-winner faced the Villa faithful at the final whistle conducting the cheers, he seemed to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These spells are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.
