A mere 60 days in the past when the Villa attacker stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered as the Villa manager berated him over failing to anticipate a pass in behind. At that point, as the club endured a six-game winless run, it wasn't clear whether his displays were a sign or a cause of Villa's more general malaise.
“Following Rogers' second strike… Emery discarded his jacket, extended his arms, and let out a triumphant roar.”
In the latest match, however, the touchline reaction was decidedly more positive. After the in-form star curled home his second strike to reclaim his side's advantage, Emery discarded his winter coat, threw his arms wide and roared. Villa were on their way to a tenth straight victory , despite not winning any of their first six games, now sit just three points off pace-setters Arsenal.
Are They Serious Hopefuls?
This is an exceptionally difficult proposition to address. History, a general sense of Villa, indicates otherwise. Furthermore, their performances haven't been wholly dominant during this run, despite the fact the positive results have accumulated.
As per Opta, twice all season have Villa had an xG more than 0.5 greater than the other team. For a club who have strung together 10 in a row, the Villans look strangely fragile – however right now the margins are falling their way.
The Reliant Strategy
The prevailing tactic seems to be to trade blows with rivals before hoping their talisman to save the day with a couple of crisp finishes. This occurred at Leeds, it occurred against West Ham, and it happened against United.
Rogers' first goal came from an exquisite effort, bent precisely inside the post from the edge of the area. The follow-up goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of the opener as he pounced 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.”
Can It Last?
Reason suggests otherwise. During the latest victory, the opposition managed more shots and more direct attempts. Villa have secured their last eight victories by a single goal. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those fixtures.
A statistical correction might be the most significant challenge they will encounter as the season progresses. Their key man, in all likelihood, cannot keep on drilling the football past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.
Reasons for Optimism
Perhaps there is a different scenario in which, instead of outcomes regressing to match displays, performances begin to trend towards results. Important figures could still find their top level.
- The centre-forward may begin to scoring again.
- Jadon Sancho may rediscover the player he was during his peak.
- The defensive duo will eventually come back from the treatment room, strengthening an occasionally vulnerable backline.
Maybe within that lies the potential of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely can persist in leaning entirely on one man.
Relishing the Unlikely
Yet, this was unforeseen. Nobody thought the team would sit in a Champions League place in December. And most definitely two months ago, no one envisioned the midfielder by the end of the year would be leading a championship pursuit and appearing as an essential Three Lions star.
This winning streak is to be savoured for the very reason that it seems so surreal. When the match-winner faced the home supporters at the final whistle leading the celebrations, it was clear to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These runs of form are rare in football and should be relished.
