A mere 60 days prior that Morgan Rogers stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, looking confused while the Villa manager berated him over not reading a pass in behind. During that period, as the club failed to win in six, doubts remained if his performances were a symptom or the reason for Villa's broader struggles.
“Following Rogers' second strike… Emery discarded his jacket, extended his arms, and let out a triumphant roar.”
This weekend, however, the manager's outburst proved to be much more joyous. As Rogers drilled in his second strike to reinstate Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician discarded his jacket, threw his arms wide and shouted in triumph. The team were on their way to ten wins in a row , after failing to win their initial half-dozen matches, are somehow just three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.
Is This Team Serious Hopefuls?
This is a rather hard question to address. Past precedent, the traditional standing of Villa, indicates otherwise. Moreover, they've rarely been wholly dominant during this run, while the positive results have piled up.
Per Opta, twice all season has the team had an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a team which has put together 10 in a row, Villa appear curiously susceptible – however right now the fine lines are going in their favour.
The Winning Formula
The prevailing tactic seems to be to trade blows with the opposition and wait for their talisman to bail them out with a couple of clinical strikes. It happened against Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and again against Manchester United.
Rogers' first goal came from an exquisite effort, arced precisely inside the upright from the edge of the area. For his second proved to be a slight scruffier version 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?
Reason suggests otherwise. Against United, Manchester United had more shots and more direct attempts. Villa have secured their last eight victories by a single goal. They have allowed goals in all except one of those fixtures.
A reversion to average may well be the greatest opponent Villa will encounter over the coming weeks. Rogers, almost certainly, cannot maintain thrashing the ball past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.
Reasons for Optimism
Could it be a different scenario in which, rather than results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Important figures might still find their top level.
- Ollie Watkins may begin to scoring again.
- Jadon Sancho may rediscover the performer he resembled during his peak.
- The defensive duo are set to return from injury, strengthening a sometimes shaky defensive unit.
Perhaps there is in that the possibility for a sustained push, however, it is improbable can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.
Enjoying the Ride
But then, this is a surprise. Nobody thought Aston Villa would be third at Christmas. And certainly two months ago, nobody thought the midfielder by the end of the year would be leading a championship pursuit while establishing himself as an essential Three Lions star.
This winning streak is to be savoured precisely because it appears so improbable. When the match-winner faced the Villa faithful when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it. Which he fully merits. These runs of form do not happen often and ought to be celebrated.
