Just two months ago when the young forward found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered as the Villa manager scolded him for missing a pass in behind. At that point, with the team failed to win in six, the question was whether his performances were a symptom or the reason for the side's wider issues.
“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”
On Sunday, in contrast, the touchline reaction proved to be far more favourable. When Rogers swept in his brace-sealing goal to restore the lead for Villa, the boss discarded his coat, spread his arms and bellowed. Villa were on their way to ten wins in a row and after failing to win their opening six fixtures, are somehow just three points behind the leaders Arsenal.
Are They Genuine Title Contenders?
That’s an exceptionally difficult query to answer. History, a general sense of Villa, suggests not. Furthermore, their performances haven't been wholly dominant this season, even as the victories have accumulated.
Per statistical analysis, twice all season has the team registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a side that have put together a ten-match winning streak, they look curiously susceptible – however right now the fine lines are swinging for them.
The Winning Formula
The current approach appears to be to trade blows with an opponent and then rely on Rogers to bail them out with a couple of clinical strikes. This was the case away to Leeds, it transpired against West Ham, and again against the Red Devils.
Rogers' first goal came from a brilliant finish, curled precisely inside the goal frame from the corner of the box. For his second acted as a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.
“Much like Robben with his left, Rogers’ right foot has become a known threat that remains brutally unstoppable, regardless of anticipation.”
Is It Sustainable?
Logic says not. In the recent win, Manchester United had more efforts and more efforts on goal. Villa have secured their last eight victories by just one goal. They’ve conceded in all but one of those fixtures.
A statistical correction might be the biggest rival the club have to face over the coming weeks. Their key man, almost certainly, cannot keep on thrashing the football into the net's top corner indefinitely.
Reasons for Optimism
Could it be an alternative path whereby, instead of results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs may yet return to peak condition.
- The main striker may begin to adding to his goal tally.
- The winger might become the force he was during his peak.
- The injured centre-backs are set to regain fitness, bolstering a periodically leaky defensive unit.
Maybe within that lies the seeds for a sustained push, however, it is improbable can continue to depend solely on one man.
Enjoying the Ride
However, nobody expected this. Few believed the team would occupy in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely earlier this season, no one envisioned the midfielder now would be leading a championship pursuit while establishing himself as a vital Three Lions star.
This remarkable period should be enjoyed exactly since it appears so improbable. As the match-winner faced the North End when the game ended leading the celebrations, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. A feeling he has rightly earned. These spells are uncommon in the sport and ought to be celebrated.
