A mere 60 days prior when the Villa attacker found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered as Unai Emery berated him for failing to anticipate a through-ball. Back then, as the club went six without a win, the question was if his performances were a symptom or a cause of the side's broader struggles.
“When Rogers netted his second… Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide, and bellowed in delight.”
On Sunday, though, the sideline response was entirely much more joyous. After the England international swept in his brace-sealing goal to reclaim the lead for Villa, Emery discarded his jacket, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. Villa were on their way to a tenth straight victory , despite not winning their opening six fixtures, now sit only three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.
Is Aston Villa Legitimate Hopefuls?
It remains a rather hard question to answer. Past precedent, the perceived status of the club, argues against it. Additionally, they have not been completely commanding during this run, despite the fact the wins have piled up.
Per Opta, twice all season has the side registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a team who have strung together 10 in a row, Villa appear strangely fragile – however at the moment the fine lines are going in their favour.
The Winning Formula
The prevailing tactic appears to be to exchange chances with the opposition and wait for their star man to save the day with a couple of crisp finishes. This occurred away to Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and again against Manchester United.
His opener stemmed from an exquisite effort, curled right inside the post from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one as he seized 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. In the recent win, the opponents registered more shots and more shots on target. The team has won each of their last eight by a single goal. They have allowed goals in all but one of those matches.
A statistical correction might be the biggest rival Villa have to face in the near future. The forward, in all likelihood, will not continue to drilling the football past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.
Potential for Growth
Perhaps there is a different scenario whereby, instead of results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Key players might still find their top level.
- Ollie Watkins could start finding the net regularly.
- The attacking talent could transform into the player he was in Germany.
- The injured centre-backs will eventually come back from the treatment room, bolstering a periodically leaky defensive unit.
Maybe within that lies the seeds of a title challenge, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on a single individual.
Enjoying the Ride
Yet, this was unforeseen. It seemed improbable the team would be in a Champions League place in December. And without a doubt two months ago, few could imagine Rogers now would be at the forefront of a championship pursuit while establishing himself as a crucial player for the national team.
The current run should be enjoyed for the very reason that it appears so improbable. As Rogers positioned himself before the North End when the game ended conducting the cheers, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. These runs of form do not happen often and should be relished.
