It was eight weeks in the past that the young forward stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered as the Villa manager admonished him over missing a through-ball. At that point, as Villa went six without a win, the question was if his displays were a symptom or a cause for the team's more general malaise.
“When Rogers netted his second… Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide, and bellowed in delight.”
In the latest match, however, the sideline response proved to be far more favourable. When Rogers drilled in his second strike to reinstate Villa's lead, 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, find themselves just three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.
That’s an exceptionally difficult query to address. The historical record, the traditional standing of this institution, argues against it. Additionally, they have not been completely commanding in many games, while the positive results have stacked up.
Per Opta, in only two games has the team posted an xG significantly higher than the other team. For a side who have just won ten consecutive victories, they appear strangely fragile – yet right now the fine lines are falling their way.
The prevailing tactic looks like to trade blows with the opposition before hoping Rogers to save the day with two crisp finishes. This occurred against Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and it happened when facing the Red Devils.
His opener originated from an exquisite effort, bent precisely inside the upright from a wide position. His brace-completing goal proved to be a somewhat messier replica of his first as he pounced on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.
“Rogers’ right foot is now akin to Robben’s legendary left: forewarned does not mean forearmed, and stopping him is another matter entirely.”
Logic says not. In the recent win, the opponents had more efforts and more direct attempts. They have triumphed in eight consecutive games by just one goal. They’ve conceded in all but one of those matches.
A statistical correction might be the most significant challenge they must confront over the coming weeks. Rogers, almost certainly, will not continue to blasting his shots into the net's top corner indefinitely.
Could it be a different scenario in which, rather than results trending towards performances, the level of play rises to match the results. Key players might still find their top level.
This could contain the potential for a sustained push, but they surely can persist in leaning entirely on one man.
But then, this is a surprise. It seemed improbable the team would sit in the top three for the holidays. And certainly back in October, nobody thought the young forward now would be at the forefront of a hunt for the title while looking like a vital England player.
This remarkable period is to be savoured for the very reason that it appears so improbable. When the hero stood in front of the Villa faithful after the match leading the celebrations, he seemed to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These runs of form do not happen often and should be relished.
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