It was eight weeks ago when the Villa attacker found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, looking confused as his coach scolded him over not reading a pass in behind. At that point, as the club endured a six-game winless run, the question was whether his performances were a symptom or a cause for Villa's more general malaise.
“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”
In the latest match, though, the touchline reaction was entirely far more favourable. After the in-form star drilled in his second to restore Villa's lead, the boss ripped off his jacket, threw his arms wide and shouted in triumph. The team marched on to a tenth straight victory and having failed to win their initial half-dozen games, are somehow a mere three points adrift of the leaders Arsenal.
Is This Team Genuine Hopefuls?
That’s an exceptionally difficult query to answer. Past precedent, the perceived status of the club, indicates otherwise. Moreover, they have not been completely commanding during this run, even as the positive results have piled up.
As per Opta, on just two occasions have Villa registered an expected goals figure significantly higher than their opponents. For a club who have just won ten consecutive victories, Villa seem curiously susceptible – yet right now the margins are falling their way.
The Reliant Strategy
The prevailing tactic appears to be to exchange chances with an opponent and then rely on their talisman to bail them out with some precise efforts. It happened against Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and again when facing United.
The initial strike originated from a brilliant finish, bent precisely inside the goal frame from a wide position. The follow-up goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of the opener as he seized on a pass from Watkins.
“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. Against United, the opponents registered more efforts and more shots on target. They have won each of their last eight by just one goal. They’ve conceded in all but one of those fixtures.
A reversion to average might be the greatest opponent the club must confront over the coming weeks. Their key man, almost certainly, cannot maintain blasting the football past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.
A Case for Belief
Perhaps there is an alternative path where, instead of luck running out, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Important figures might still rediscover their best form.
- The centre-forward might resume finding the net regularly.
- The winger could transform into the player he resembled in Germany.
- The injured centre-backs are set to regain fitness, bolstering a periodically leaky backline.
Perhaps there is in that the potential for a sustained push, however, it is improbable can persist in leaning entirely on one man.
Savoring the Moment
However, nobody expected this. Few believed Aston Villa would be third at Christmas. And most definitely earlier this season, nobody thought the midfielder as the year closed would be at the forefront of a hunt for the title while establishing himself as an essential player for the national team.
This winning streak must be cherished precisely because it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner positioned himself before the Villa faithful when the game ended leading the celebrations, he appeared to be loving the experience. A feeling he has rightly earned. These runs of form are rare in football and must be appreciated.
