A mere eight weeks in the past when Morgan Rogers stood on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered as his coach berated him for missing a penetrating pass. Back then, as Villa endured a six-game winless run, the question was whether his performances were a symptom or a cause 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, though, the touchline reaction proved to be much more joyous. After the in-form star curled home his second to reclaim Villa's lead, Emery discarded his winter coat, threw his arms wide and bellowed. Villa marched on to ten wins in a row , after failing to win their initial half-dozen games, find themselves just three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.
Is Aston Villa Legitimate Title Contenders?
It remains a particularly tough question to answer. The historical record, a general sense of Villa, argues against it. Moreover, they've rarely been completely commanding this season, despite the fact the wins have stacked up.
As per the data, twice all season has the team posted an xG more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a team which has just won a ten-match winning streak, Villa seem strangely fragile – however right now the tight outcomes are swinging for them.
The Rogers Recipe
Their recent policy appears to be to engage in a shootout with an opponent and wait for their star man to save the day with two crisp finishes. This occurred against Leeds, it transpired against West Ham, and it happened against Manchester United.
The initial strike came from an exquisite effort, bent just inside the post from the edge of the area. The follow-up goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one capitalizing on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.
“Much like Robben with his left, Rogers’ right foot has become a known threat that remains brutally unstoppable, regardless of anticipation.”
How Long Can This Continue?
Logic says not. Against United, Manchester United registered a greater number of attempts and more direct attempts. Villa have won each of their last eight by just one goal. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those fixtures.
A reversion to average might be the biggest rival Villa have to face in the near future. Their key man, almost certainly, cannot keep on thrashing the ball into the top corner week in, week out.
Reasons for Optimism
Could it be a different scenario where, instead of results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players might still rediscover their best form.
- Ollie Watkins could start finding the net regularly.
- The winger might become the performer he showed in Germany.
- Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually regain fitness, strengthening an occasionally vulnerable backline.
This could contain the possibility of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely cannot keep relying on one man.
Savoring the Moment
However, this was unforeseen. Few believed the team would sit in the top three for the holidays. And certainly back in October, no one envisioned the young forward now would be at the forefront of a championship pursuit while establishing himself as a crucial England player.
This winning streak must be cherished for the very reason that it seems so surreal. When the hero faced the Villa faithful after the match orchestrating the applause, it was clear to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. These spells do not happen often and must be appreciated.
