Just eight weeks ago when Morgan Rogers found himself on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered as his coach admonished him for not reading a through-ball. At that point, with the team failed to win in six, doubts remained if his displays were an indicator or the source for Villa's broader struggles.
“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 was entirely much more joyous. After the England international drilled in his second strike to reinstate his side's advantage, the boss discarded his coat, opened his arms and shouted in triumph. Villa were on their way to a tenth straight victory and having failed to win their opening six fixtures, are somehow just three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.
Are They Genuine Title Contenders?
That’s an exceptionally difficult query to answer. Past precedent, the perceived status of this institution, argues against it. Furthermore, their performances haven't been entirely convincing this season, despite the fact the wins have stacked up.
Per statistical analysis, in only two games has the team posted an xG notably superior than the other team. For a side which has put together a ten-match winning streak, they seem strangely fragile – but currently the fine lines are going in their favour.
The Rogers Recipe
The prevailing tactic appears to be to trade blows with the opposition and then rely on Rogers to save the day with a couple of clinical strikes. It happened against Leeds, it transpired at West Ham, and again versus the Red Devils.
The initial strike came from a brilliant finish, bent right inside the upright from the edge of the area. The follow-up goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one as he pounced 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.”
Can It Last?
Reason suggests otherwise. During the latest victory, Manchester United had a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. They have secured their last eight victories by a single goal. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those fixtures.
A statistical correction could be the biggest rival Villa have to face over the coming weeks. Rogers, almost certainly, cannot keep on blasting his shots into the top corner indefinitely.
A Case for Belief
Maybe there exists a different scenario where, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players could still rediscover their best form.
- The centre-forward may begin to scoring again.
- Jadon Sancho may rediscover the performer he resembled in Germany.
- Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually regain fitness, strengthening a periodically leaky defensive unit.
Maybe within that lies the possibility of a title challenge, but they surely can continue to depend solely on a single individual.
Relishing the Unlikely
However, this is a surprise. Few believed the team would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely two months ago, no one envisioned the young forward as the year closed would be spearheading a hunt for the title while looking like an essential Three Lions star.
The current run is to be savoured exactly since it appears so improbable. When the match-winner stood in front of the Villa faithful when the game ended orchestrating the applause, it was clear to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.
