A mere 60 days prior when the Villa attacker found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, looking confused as Unai Emery berated him for not reading a through-ball. At that point, as Villa endured a six-game winless run, doubts remained whether his performances were an indicator or a cause for Villa's broader struggles.
“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”
This weekend, however, the sideline response was decidedly more positive. As the England international swept in his second to reinstate Villa's lead, the boss discarded his jacket, threw his arms wide and roared. The team continued to a 10th successive win and despite not winning their initial half-dozen matches, now sit just three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.
Is Aston Villa Genuine Hopefuls?
This is a rather hard proposition to answer. The historical record, the traditional standing of Villa, indicates otherwise. Moreover, their performances haven't been completely commanding in many games, while the victories have piled up.
As per Opta, in only two games has the team posted an xG notably superior than the opposition. For a team which has put together ten consecutive victories, Villa look weirdly vulnerable – however at the moment the fine lines are swinging for them.
The Reliant Strategy
The current approach looks like to engage in a shootout with rivals before hoping their star man to rescue them with two clinical strikes. It happened away to Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and again against Manchester United.
Rogers' first goal stemmed from a superb shot, curled right inside the goal frame from a wide position. His brace-completing goal was essentially a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one as he pounced on a pass from Watkins.
“Much like Robben with his left, Rogers’ right foot has become a known threat that remains brutally unstoppable, regardless of anticipation.”
Can It Last?
Common sense dictates no. Against United, Manchester United managed more efforts and more shots on target. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. They’ve conceded in all but one of those games.
A reversion to average could be the biggest rival they have to face in the near future. Rogers, almost certainly, will not continue to drilling his shots into the top corner forever.
Potential for Growth
Could it be an alternative path where, rather than luck running out, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs might still return to peak condition.
- Ollie Watkins could start finding the net regularly.
- The winger might become the force he was in Germany.
- Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually return from injury, bolstering a periodically leaky defence.
Perhaps there is in that the possibility for a sustained push, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on a single individual.
Enjoying the Ride
Yet, nobody expected this. Nobody thought Aston Villa would sit in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt two months ago, few could imagine the midfielder by the end of the year would be at the forefront of a title charge and appearing as a crucial Three Lions star.
This winning streak must be cherished precisely because it appears so improbable. As Rogers stood in front of the North End after the match orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.
