A mere two months prior when the Villa attacker found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered as his coach admonished him over missing a through-ball. At that point, as the club went six without a win, doubts remained whether Rogers' form were a sign or the source of Villa's more general malaise.
“When Rogers netted his second… Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide, and bellowed in delight.”
In the latest match, however, the sideline response was entirely much more joyous. After the in-form star drilled in his brace-sealing goal to reinstate his side's advantage, the Spanish tactician tore off his winter coat, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. The team continued to a 10th successive win , after failing to win their initial half-dozen matches, find themselves only three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.
Is This Team Legitimate Title Contenders?
It remains a rather hard question to resolve. Past precedent, the perceived status of Villa, indicates otherwise. Moreover, they have not been wholly dominant during this run, even as the wins have accumulated.
Per the data, in only two games has the team registered an expected goals figure significantly higher than the opposition. For a club who have just won ten consecutive victories, they appear strangely fragile – yet at the moment the tight outcomes are going in their favour.
The Winning Formula
Their recent policy seems to be to engage in a shootout with an opponent and wait for their talisman to save the day with some precise efforts. This occurred at Leeds, it occurred in London, and it happened when facing United.
Rogers' first goal came from an exquisite effort, curled precisely inside the post from a wide position. His brace-completing goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he pounced on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.
“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?
Reason suggests otherwise. Against United, the opposition registered a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. The team has secured their last eight victories by just one goal. The defence has been breached in all but one of those matches.
A reversion to average may well be the greatest opponent Villa will encounter over the coming weeks. Their key man, in all likelihood, will not continue to drilling the football into the top corner forever.
A Case for Belief
Maybe there exists a different scenario in which, rather than results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs may yet return to peak condition.
- The centre-forward might resume scoring again.
- The winger could transform into the force he was in Germany.
- The injured centre-backs are set to regain fitness, fortifying a periodically leaky backline.
Perhaps there is in that the seeds of a genuine bid, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.
Relishing the Unlikely
However, this is a surprise. It seemed improbable Villa would sit third at Christmas. And certainly back in October, nobody thought the young forward as the year closed would be spearheading a championship pursuit while establishing himself as a crucial Three Lions star.
The current run must be cherished precisely because it feels so unlikely. When Rogers positioned himself before the North End after the match leading the celebrations, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. A feeling he has rightly earned. These runs of form do not happen often and must be appreciated.
