Just 60 days prior when the young forward found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, seeming perplexed as his coach admonished him over not reading a penetrating pass. At that point, as Villa failed to win in six, doubts remained whether his performances were an indicator or the source of the side'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 sideline response proved to be decidedly more positive. As Rogers swept in his second to restore Villa's lead, the boss discarded his winter coat, spread his arms and bellowed. The team marched on to a tenth straight victory , after failing to win any of their first six games, find themselves just three points adrift of pace-setters Arsenal.
Is This Team Serious Challengers?
That’s an exceptionally difficult query to resolve. The historical record, the traditional standing of this institution, suggests not. Additionally, they have not been completely commanding this season, despite the fact the positive results have accumulated.
According to the data, on just two occasions has the side had an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a club who have put together a ten-match winning streak, Villa seem curiously susceptible – but currently the margins are going in their favour.
The Reliant Strategy
The prevailing tactic looks like to exchange chances with an opponent and wait for their star man to rescue them with a couple of clinical strikes. It happened at Leeds, it transpired against West Ham, and it happened when facing United.
The initial strike originated from a brilliant finish, arced precisely inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. His brace-completing goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of the opener capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.
“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. In the recent win, the opposition registered more shots and more direct attempts. The team has secured their last eight victories by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those games.
Regression to the mean could be the most significant challenge Villa will encounter as the season progresses. Their key man, surely, cannot maintain thrashing the football into the net's top corner week in, week out.
Reasons for Optimism
Perhaps there is an alternative path where, rather than results trending towards performances, performances begin to trend towards results. Important figures might still return to peak condition.
- Ollie Watkins might resume finding the net regularly.
- Jadon Sancho may rediscover the player he was at Borussia Dortmund.
- Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to come back from the treatment room, fortifying a sometimes shaky defensive unit.
Maybe within that lies the possibility for a sustained push, however, it is improbable cannot keep relying on a single individual.
Enjoying the Ride
Yet, this was unforeseen. Few believed the team would be in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt back in October, no one envisioned the midfielder by the end of the year would be spearheading a championship pursuit while establishing himself as a vital England player.
This winning streak is to be savoured exactly since it appears so improbable. When the match-winner stood in front of the home supporters after the match orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be loving the experience. A feeling he has rightly earned. Such periods are rare in football and should be relished.
