It was eight weeks prior when the young forward stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered as Unai Emery berated him over missing a penetrating pass. Back then, as the club failed to win in six, the question was whether his displays were an indicator or the reason for Villa's more general malaise.
“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”
On Sunday, though, the manager's outburst was entirely far more favourable. As the England international drilled in his second to restore his side's advantage, the boss discarded his winter coat, opened his arms and roared. The team marched on to a tenth straight victory and having failed to win their opening six matches, now sit a mere three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.
Is This Team Serious Hopefuls?
This is a particularly tough query to answer. Past precedent, a general sense of Villa, argues against it. Moreover, their performances haven't been entirely convincing during this run, even as the wins have piled up.
Per Opta, twice all season have Villa had an xG more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a team who have strung together a ten-match winning streak, they appear strangely fragile – yet right now the tight outcomes are going in their favour.
The Reliant Strategy
The prevailing tactic seems to be to engage in a shootout with an opponent and then rely on their star man to rescue them with a couple of clinical strikes. This occurred away to Leeds, it happened against West Ham, and once more against United.
His opener came from an exquisite effort, curled right inside the post from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one 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.”
How Long Can This Continue?
Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, the opposition had a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. The team has won each of their last eight by a single goal. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those games.
A reversion to average may well be the greatest opponent Villa have to face in the near future. Rogers, almost certainly, cannot keep on drilling his shots past despairing goalkeepers forever.
Potential for Growth
Could it be a different scenario where, instead of luck running out, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players might still find their top level.
- Ollie Watkins might resume adding to his goal tally.
- Jadon Sancho may rediscover the force he was during his peak.
- Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to regain fitness, fortifying a periodically leaky defensive unit.
Perhaps there is in that the seeds of a genuine bid, but they surely can continue to depend solely on one man.
Enjoying the Ride
However, this was unforeseen. Few believed Aston Villa would be in a Champions League place in December. And certainly back in October, no one envisioned the young forward now would be spearheading a title charge and appearing as a vital Three Lions star.
This winning streak should be enjoyed precisely because it feels so unlikely. When the match-winner positioned himself before the North End at the final whistle orchestrating the applause, he appeared to be relishing every moment. Which he fully merits. These runs of form are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.
