It was eight weeks in the past that the young forward found himself on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered while Unai Emery scolded him for missing a pass in behind. During that period, with the team went six without a win, it wasn't clear if his performances were a sign or the reason of Villa'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, in contrast, the manager's outburst was entirely much more joyous. When Rogers swept in his second to restore the lead for Villa, the Spanish tactician ripped off his coat, spread his arms and roared. The Birmingham club were on their way to a 10th successive win and after failing to win their opening six matches, find themselves just three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.
Is This Team Genuine Challengers?
That’s a rather hard proposition to resolve. History, a general sense of the club, argues against it. Furthermore, they've rarely been entirely convincing during this run, even as the positive results have stacked up.
Per Opta, on just two occasions has the side posted an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a club that have strung together ten consecutive victories, they appear curiously susceptible – however right now the margins are swinging for them.
The Reliant Strategy
The prevailing tactic appears to be to trade blows with an opponent and then rely on their talisman to rescue them with a couple of crisp finishes. This occurred at Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and it happened against Manchester United.
Rogers' first goal stemmed from an exquisite effort, bent right inside the upright from the edge of the area. For his second acted as a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he pounced on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.
“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.”
Can It Last?
Logic says not. Against United, the opposition managed a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. The team has won each of their last eight by just one goal. They’ve conceded in all except one of those games.
A statistical correction could be the biggest rival they must confront in the near future. Their key man, surely, will not continue to thrashing the football past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.
Reasons for Optimism
Maybe there exists another reality where, instead of results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs might still find their top level.
- Ollie Watkins may begin to finding the net regularly.
- The attacking talent might become the performer he showed during his peak.
- Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually return from injury, fortifying a sometimes shaky defence.
Perhaps there is in that the seeds of a title challenge, however, it is improbable cannot keep relying on a single individual.
Relishing the Unlikely
Yet, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely back in October, few could imagine Rogers by the end of the year would be leading a championship pursuit and appearing as an essential player for the national team.
This winning streak is to be savoured for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. When the hero stood in front of the home supporters when the game ended leading the celebrations, he appeared to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These runs of form do not happen often and must be appreciated.
