A mere 60 days in the past when the young forward was standing on the pitch at Sunderland, seeming perplexed as Unai Emery admonished him over missing a penetrating pass. During that period, as the club went six without a win, doubts remained if his displays were an indicator or the reason for 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, in contrast, the touchline reaction was entirely much more joyous. When the in-form star drilled in his second to reclaim his side's advantage, the boss ripped off his jacket, spread his arms and roared. The team continued to a 10th successive win and after failing to win their opening six games, find themselves a mere three points off table-toppers Arsenal.
Is Aston Villa Legitimate Challengers?
That’s a rather hard query to address. History, a general sense of the club, suggests not. Additionally, they've rarely been completely commanding in many games, while the victories have stacked up.
As per Opta, on just two occasions have Villa posted an expected goals figure notably superior than their opponents. For a club which has just won a ten-match winning streak, they appear weirdly vulnerable – however at the moment the margins are swinging for them.
The Winning Formula
The prevailing tactic appears to be to exchange chances with the opposition and then rely on their star man to rescue them with a couple of clinical strikes. This occurred at Leeds, it transpired at West Ham, and again against United.
His opener stemmed from a superb shot, curled precisely inside the goal frame from the corner of the box. His brace-completing goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of the opener as he seized on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.
“Perhaps Rogers’ right foot is becoming like Arjen Robben’s left: just because you know he’s going to whip the ball into the top corner doesn’t mean you can stop him.”
Is It Sustainable?
Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, the opposition managed more efforts and more efforts on goal. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by just one goal. They’ve conceded in nearly all of those fixtures.
Regression to the mean might be the biggest rival they must confront in the near future. The forward, almost certainly, cannot maintain thrashing the ball into the top corner forever.
Reasons for Optimism
Maybe there exists an alternative path where, instead of outcomes regressing to match displays, the level of play rises to match the results. Key players might still return to peak condition.
- The main striker might resume scoring again.
- The winger may rediscover the performer he was at Borussia Dortmund.
- The defensive duo will eventually regain fitness, strengthening an occasionally vulnerable backline.
Perhaps there is in that the possibility of a title challenge, however, it is improbable can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.
Relishing the Unlikely
However, this was unforeseen. It seemed improbable Aston Villa would sit in the top three for the holidays. And certainly earlier this season, nobody thought Rogers as the year closed would be spearheading a hunt for the title while establishing himself as a vital player for the national team.
The current run should be enjoyed exactly since it feels so unlikely. When the hero stood in front of the North End at the final whistle orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be loving the experience. Which he fully merits. These spells do not happen often and ought to be celebrated.
