It was eight weeks ago that the young forward stood on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered as his coach admonished him for failing to anticipate a through-ball. Back then, as the club went six without a win, it wasn't clear if his performances were a symptom or the reason for Villa's more general malaise.
“When Rogers netted his second… Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide, and bellowed in delight.”
On Sunday, though, the manager's outburst proved to be much more joyous. As the in-form star drilled in his second to reinstate the lead for Villa, Emery ripped off his coat, spread his arms and bellowed. Villa were on their way to a tenth straight victory and after failing to win their opening six fixtures, are somehow just three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.
Is Aston Villa Legitimate Title Contenders?
That’s a particularly tough query to answer. Past precedent, a general sense of this institution, indicates otherwise. Furthermore, they have not been wholly dominant this season, despite the fact the positive results have accumulated.
As per statistical analysis, twice all season have Villa had an xG more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a club who have put together a ten-match winning streak, Villa seem curiously susceptible – yet at the moment the fine lines are going in their favour.
The Reliant Strategy
The current approach appears to be to exchange chances with rivals and wait for Rogers to save the day with some clinical strikes. It happened against Leeds, it occurred against West Ham, and again versus the Red Devils.
Rogers' first goal originated from an exquisite effort, arced precisely inside the upright from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal acted as a somewhat messier replica of goal number one capitalizing 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?
Reason suggests otherwise. During the latest victory, Manchester United managed a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. Villa have won each of their last eight by just one goal. They have allowed goals in all but one of those fixtures.
A reversion to average may well be the most significant challenge they will encounter as the season progresses. Their key man, almost certainly, cannot maintain thrashing the football into the net's top corner week in, week out.
A Case for Belief
Maybe there exists a different scenario whereby, rather than luck running out, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs could still return to peak condition.
- The centre-forward might resume scoring again.
- The attacking talent might become the force he showed in Germany.
- Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to come back from the treatment room, fortifying a sometimes shaky defence.
Perhaps there is in that the seeds of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on one man.
Relishing the Unlikely
But then, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable Villa would be third at Christmas. And most definitely back in October, few could imagine the midfielder by the end of the year would be leading a title charge and appearing as an essential player for the national team.
The current run must be cherished precisely because it seems so surreal. As Rogers faced the North End when the game ended conducting the cheers, he appeared to be loving the experience. Which he fully merits. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.
