It was two months ago that the young forward found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, seeming perplexed as the Villa manager admonished him over not reading a through-ball. During that period, as Villa failed to win in six, the question was if his displays were a sign or a cause of the side's broader struggles.
“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”
This weekend, in contrast, the sideline response was decidedly more positive. As the England international curled home his second strike to restore his side's advantage, the boss discarded his jacket, threw his arms wide and roared. Villa continued to ten wins in a row and having failed to win any of their first six fixtures, find themselves just three points off pace-setters Arsenal.
Is This Team Legitimate Challengers?
It remains a rather hard proposition to address. Past precedent, a general sense of this institution, argues against it. Moreover, they've rarely been completely commanding during this run, despite the fact the victories have accumulated.
Per statistical analysis, on just two occasions has the team registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the other team. For a club who have just won 10 in a row, Villa seem curiously susceptible – yet right now the fine lines are falling their way.
The Rogers Recipe
The current approach appears to be to trade blows with rivals before hoping their talisman to bail them out with some crisp finishes. This was the case away to Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and once more versus the Red Devils.
Rogers' first goal came from a brilliant finish, bent just inside the post from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of his first capitalizing on a setup by his strike partner.
“Rogers’ right foot is now akin to Robben’s legendary left: forewarned does not mean forearmed, and stopping him is another matter entirely.”
Is It Sustainable?
Common sense dictates no. During the latest victory, the opponents had a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. The team has won each of their last eight by a single goal. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those games.
A reversion to average may well be the biggest rival Villa have to face over the coming weeks. The forward, almost certainly, cannot keep on blasting the ball into the net's top corner forever.
A Case for Belief
Perhaps there is a different scenario whereby, instead of luck running out, the level of play rises to match the results. Important figures might still return to peak condition.
- The main striker may begin to finding the net regularly.
- The attacking talent may rediscover the player he was during his peak.
- The defensive duo are due to regain fitness, strengthening a sometimes shaky defence.
Perhaps there is in that the seeds of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely can persist in leaning entirely on one man.
Relishing the Unlikely
However, nobody expected this. Few believed Aston Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely earlier this season, no one envisioned the midfielder by the end of the year would be spearheading a hunt for the title and appearing as a vital player for the national team.
The current run should be enjoyed for the very reason that it seems so surreal. As the hero faced the Villa faithful at the final whistle conducting the cheers, he seemed to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and must be appreciated.
