Just 60 days ago that the young forward was standing on the Stadium of Light pitch, looking confused as his coach scolded him over not reading a pass in behind. At that point, as Villa failed to win in six, the question was whether his displays were a sign or the reason of Villa's wider issues.
“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”
In the latest match, however, the sideline response was entirely decidedly more positive. As the in-form star curled home his second to reinstate Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician ripped off his winter coat, opened his arms and shouted in triumph. Villa continued to ten wins in a row , despite not winning any of their first six matches, now sit only three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.
Is This Team Legitimate Challengers?
It remains a rather hard question to address. The historical record, a general sense of the club, indicates otherwise. Moreover, they've rarely been wholly dominant during this run, even as the victories have accumulated.
As per statistical analysis, twice all season has the team registered an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than the other team. For a team which has put together ten consecutive victories, Villa look weirdly vulnerable – but right now the fine lines are going in their favour.
The Reliant Strategy
Their recent policy seems to be to trade blows with rivals and then rely on Rogers to rescue them with a couple of crisp finishes. It happened against Leeds, it transpired in London, and again against the Red Devils.
Rogers' first goal stemmed from an exquisite effort, arced right inside the upright from a wide position. For his second acted as 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.”
How Long Can This Continue?
Common sense dictates no. During the latest victory, the opponents managed a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. They have secured their last eight victories by a single goal. They have allowed goals in nearly all of those games.
Regression to the mean might be the greatest opponent they must confront in the near future. The forward, in all likelihood, cannot keep on drilling his shots past despairing goalkeepers week in, week out.
Reasons for Optimism
Could it be an alternative path in which, rather than results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs could still return to peak condition.
- The main striker may begin to scoring again.
- The attacking talent might become the force he was in Germany.
- The injured centre-backs are due to return from injury, strengthening a sometimes shaky defence.
Maybe within that lies the possibility of a genuine bid, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.
Savoring the Moment
However, this was unforeseen. Few believed the team would sit in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely back in October, nobody thought Rogers by the end of the year would be leading a championship pursuit while establishing himself as a crucial England player.
The current run is to be savoured exactly since it appears so improbable. As Rogers stood in front of the North End when the game ended leading the celebrations, he appeared to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These spells do not happen often and must be appreciated.
