A mere two months in the past when the Villa attacker stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered as his coach admonished him for missing a through-ball. At that point, with the team went six without a win, it wasn't clear whether Rogers' form were a symptom or a cause for Villa's more general malaise.
“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”
On Sunday, in contrast, the manager's outburst proved to be decidedly more positive. When the in-form star swept in his second to reclaim the lead for Villa, Emery tore off his coat, opened his arms and bellowed. Villa marched on to ten wins in a row , having failed to win their initial half-dozen matches, are somehow only three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.
Is This Team Serious Challengers?
It remains a particularly tough proposition to answer. The historical record, a general sense of Villa, suggests not. Moreover, they've rarely been wholly dominant during this run, while the wins have accumulated.
According to the data, twice all season has the side registered an xG notably superior than the opposition. For a club who have put together a ten-match winning streak, they look strangely fragile – however at the moment the tight outcomes are falling their way.
The Rogers Recipe
The current approach appears to be to engage in a shootout with the opposition and wait for their talisman to bail them out with some clinical strikes. This was the case away to Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and it happened when facing the Red Devils.
The initial strike stemmed from a brilliant finish, arced precisely inside the upright from a wide position. His brace-completing goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of his first as he seized on a setup by his strike partner.
“Much like Robben with his left, Rogers’ right foot has become a known threat that remains brutally unstoppable, regardless of anticipation.”
Is It Sustainable?
Common sense dictates no. In the recent win, the opponents managed more shots and more efforts on goal. Villa have secured their last eight victories by the narrowest of margins. They’ve conceded in all except one of those games.
A statistical correction could be the greatest opponent Villa have to face over the coming weeks. The forward, almost certainly, cannot keep on thrashing the football into the net's top corner forever.
Potential for Growth
Could it be another reality whereby, instead of results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Important figures could still return to peak condition.
- The main striker may begin to finding the net regularly.
- The winger could transform into the force he showed in Germany.
- The defensive duo will eventually come back from the treatment room, bolstering an occasionally vulnerable defensive unit.
Maybe within that lies the seeds for a sustained push, but they surely can continue to depend solely on Morgan Rogers.
Savoring the Moment
Yet, nobody expected this. Nobody thought Villa would sit in the top three for the holidays. And certainly back in October, nobody thought the midfielder by the end of the year would be leading a hunt for the title and appearing as an essential Three Lions star.
The current run is to be savoured exactly since it feels so unlikely. When Rogers positioned himself before the home supporters after the match leading the celebrations, he appeared to be relishing every moment. A feeling he has rightly earned. These runs of form are uncommon in the sport and must be appreciated.
