It was 60 days ago when the young forward found himself on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered as his coach berated him for failing to anticipate a through-ball. Back then, with the team endured a six-game winless run, it wasn't clear whether Rogers' form were an indicator or the source for the team's more general malaise.
“When Rogers netted his second… Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide, and bellowed in delight.”
This weekend, in contrast, the manager's outburst was entirely much more joyous. As the in-form star swept in his brace-sealing goal to restore Villa's lead, Emery tore off his jacket, opened his arms and roared. Villa were on their way to a tenth straight victory , having failed to win their opening six matches, are somehow a mere three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.
Is Aston Villa Serious Hopefuls?
This is an exceptionally difficult question to address. History, the perceived status of Villa, indicates otherwise. Furthermore, they've rarely been wholly dominant in many games, even as the victories have stacked up.
Per the data, on just two occasions have Villa had an xG more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a side that have put together ten consecutive victories, the Villans seem weirdly vulnerable – yet currently the fine lines are going in their favour.
The Reliant Strategy
The current approach seems to be to exchange chances with an opponent and then rely on their star man to bail them out with a couple of precise efforts. This was the case at Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and again against the Red Devils.
The initial strike came from a brilliant finish, curled right inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. The follow-up goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one as he pounced on a pass from Watkins.
“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. During the latest victory, Manchester United had more shots and more efforts on goal. They have won each of their last eight by the narrowest of margins. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those games.
A statistical correction could be the biggest rival they must confront in the near future. Rogers, in all likelihood, cannot maintain thrashing the football into the net's top corner indefinitely.
Potential for Growth
Perhaps there is another reality in which, rather than results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players could still rediscover their best form.
- The centre-forward may begin to finding the net regularly.
- The attacking talent could transform into the performer he showed in Germany.
- The injured centre-backs will eventually regain fitness, fortifying a sometimes shaky defence.
Maybe within that lies the possibility of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on one man.
Relishing the Unlikely
However, nobody expected this. Nobody thought Aston Villa would sit in a Champions League place in December. And most definitely back in October, few could imagine the midfielder by the end of the year would be at the forefront of a title charge while looking like a vital Three Lions star.
The current run is to be savoured for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner positioned himself before the North End after the match orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be loving the experience. Which he fully merits. These runs of form do not happen often and should be relished.
