It was eight weeks prior when the Villa attacker found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered while the Villa manager berated him for failing to anticipate a through-ball. At that point, as the club endured a six-game winless run, doubts remained whether his displays were an indicator or the reason for the team's more general malaise.
“Following Rogers' second strike… Emery discarded his jacket, extended his arms, and let out a triumphant roar.”
In the latest match, however, the sideline response proved to be far more favourable. When the England international drilled in his second to restore the lead for Villa, the boss ripped off his jacket, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. The team marched on to ten wins in a row and despite not winning any of their first six fixtures, now sit only three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.
Is Aston Villa Genuine Hopefuls?
It remains a particularly tough question to address. History, a general sense of Villa, suggests not. Additionally, they have not been completely commanding in many games, while the wins have stacked up.
As per the data, twice all season has the team registered an xG notably superior than the other team. For a team that have strung together a ten-match winning streak, they look strangely fragile – but currently the fine lines are falling their way.
The Reliant Strategy
The prevailing tactic looks like to exchange chances with an opponent and then rely on their talisman to bail them out with two precise efforts. It happened at Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and it happened versus the Red Devils.
Rogers' first goal stemmed from a superb shot, bent right inside the post from a wide position. For his second acted as a slightly less clean iteration of his first capitalizing 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.”
How Long Can This Continue?
Logic says not. Against United, the opposition registered a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by just one goal. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those games.
A statistical correction might be the biggest rival they will encounter in the near future. The forward, surely, will not continue to drilling the football into the top corner forever.
Reasons for Optimism
Maybe there exists a different scenario in which, rather than results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs might still find their top level.
- Ollie Watkins may begin to scoring again.
- Jadon Sancho may rediscover the force he resembled at Borussia Dortmund.
- The defensive duo are due to come back from the treatment room, strengthening a sometimes shaky defence.
This could contain the seeds of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.
Savoring the Moment
But then, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable Villa would be third at Christmas. And most definitely back in October, no one envisioned Rogers now would be spearheading a championship pursuit while establishing himself as a crucial player for the national team.
This remarkable period is to be savoured precisely because it feels so unlikely. As the hero faced the home supporters when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be relishing every moment. Which he fully merits. These runs of form are rare in football and should be relished.
