A mere eight weeks in the past that the young forward stood on the pitch at Sunderland, seeming perplexed while his coach berated him over not reading a pass in behind. During that period, with the team failed to win in six, doubts remained if Rogers' form were a symptom or the reason for the team's more general malaise.
“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”
On Sunday, in contrast, the sideline response was entirely decidedly more positive. As the in-form star drilled in his second to reclaim his side's advantage, the boss ripped off his coat, threw his arms wide and bellowed. The team marched on to a 10th successive win and having failed to win their opening six games, are somehow only three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.
Is This Team Serious Hopefuls?
This is a rather hard query to resolve. The historical record, a general sense of the club, argues against it. Additionally, they have not been wholly dominant in many games, even as the wins have piled up.
Per the data, in only two games has the side had an expected goals figure notably superior than the opposition. For a side that have strung together 10 in a row, the Villans look curiously susceptible – however currently the tight outcomes are swinging for them.
The Rogers Recipe
The prevailing tactic seems to be to exchange chances with an opponent and wait for their talisman to bail them out with two crisp finishes. It happened against Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and again against Manchester United.
The initial strike originated from a superb shot, bent right inside the goal frame from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of the opener capitalizing 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.”
How Long Can This Continue?
Logic says not. In the recent win, the opponents managed a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. Villa have won each of their last eight by a single goal. The defence has been breached in all but one of those fixtures.
A statistical correction may well be the biggest rival they must confront in the near future. The forward, almost certainly, will not continue to blasting the ball into the top corner forever.
Reasons for Optimism
Could it be a different scenario in which, rather than results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs could still find their top level.
- The centre-forward could start finding the net regularly.
- The attacking talent might become the force he was during his peak.
- Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually return from injury, fortifying a sometimes shaky defence.
Perhaps there is in that the seeds of a title challenge, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on Morgan Rogers.
Enjoying the Ride
However, nobody expected this. Few believed Villa would occupy third at Christmas. And without a doubt earlier this season, few could imagine the young forward as the year closed would be spearheading a championship pursuit and appearing as an essential player for the national team.
This winning streak must be cherished precisely because it feels so unlikely. As the match-winner stood in front of the home supporters at the final whistle conducting the cheers, it was clear to be thoroughly enjoying it. As he deserves to. These runs of form are rare in football and ought to be celebrated.
