🔗 Share this article

It was 60 days prior that the Villa attacker stood on the pitch at Sunderland, seeming perplexed as Unai Emery admonished him over failing to anticipate a through-ball. Back then, as the club failed to win in six, the question was if his displays were an indicator or the reason of Villa's broader struggles.

“When Rogers netted his second… Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide, and bellowed in delight.”

In the latest match, however, the manager's outburst was entirely far more favourable. As the England international drilled in his second strike to restore the lead for Villa, Emery discarded his winter coat, opened his arms and shouted in triumph. Villa marched on to ten wins in a row , after failing to win their initial half-dozen games, now sit only three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.

Is This Team Serious Title Contenders?

This is a rather hard proposition to answer. Past precedent, a general sense of Villa, indicates otherwise. Moreover, they have not been wholly dominant during this run, while the wins have stacked up.

As per the data, in only two games has the side had an xG more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a side which has strung together 10 in a row, the Villans look strangely fragile – however currently the fine lines are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

Their recent policy appears to be to trade blows with the opposition and then rely on their star man to save the day with two clinical strikes. It happened at Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and once more when facing the Red Devils.

The initial strike came from an exquisite effort, bent precisely inside the upright from a wide position. His brace-completing goal proved to be a slight scruffier version of goal number one 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.”

Can It Last?

Logic says not. Against United, the opposition managed more shots 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 fixtures.

A reversion to average may well be the greatest opponent they have to face in the near future. The forward, surely, cannot keep on drilling the ball into the net's top corner indefinitely.

Reasons for Optimism

Maybe there exists another reality where, instead of luck running out, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Important figures might still find their top level.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to scoring again.
• The winger might become the performer he showed at Borussia Dortmund.
• The injured centre-backs are due to regain fitness, strengthening a periodically leaky defence.

Perhaps there is in that the possibility of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

However, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable Aston Villa would be in the top three for the holidays. And certainly back in October, nobody thought Rogers by the end of the year would be leading a title charge and appearing as a vital England player.

The current run must be cherished exactly since it feels so unlikely. When Rogers positioned himself before the home supporters when the game ended leading the celebrations, it was clear to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These spells do not happen often and ought to be celebrated.