🔗 Share this article

A mere eight weeks ago when the Villa attacker was standing on the Sunderland turf, looking confused while the Villa manager admonished him over failing to anticipate a pass in behind. At that point, as the club went six without a win, the question was if his performances were a symptom or the reason for the side's more general malaise.

“As Rogers swept in his second… Emery ripped off his thick padded coat, spread his arms and roared.”

This weekend, though, the touchline reaction was much more joyous. As the in-form star swept in his second strike to restore Villa's lead, the boss ripped off his coat, spread his arms and shouted in triumph. Villa marched on to a tenth straight victory and despite not winning their initial half-dozen games, find themselves a mere three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Serious Title Contenders?

It remains a particularly tough proposition to resolve. History, the perceived status of the club, suggests not. Furthermore, they have not been completely commanding this season, even as the positive results have piled up.

As per statistical analysis, on just two occasions has the side registered an xG significantly higher than their opponents. For a side who have put together ten consecutive victories, the Villans appear strangely fragile – but currently the tight outcomes are swinging for them.

The Rogers Recipe

The prevailing tactic seems to be to engage in a shootout with the opposition and wait for their star man to bail them out with two crisp finishes. This occurred at Leeds, it transpired against West Ham, and once more versus the Red Devils.

The initial strike stemmed from an exquisite effort, curled right inside the post from a wide position. His brace-completing goal proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of his first capitalizing on a setup by his strike partner.

“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.”

Can It Last?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opponents registered more efforts and more efforts on goal. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by just one goal. They have allowed goals in all except one of those fixtures.

A reversion to average might be the biggest rival the club have to face as the season progresses. The forward, in all likelihood, cannot keep on thrashing the ball past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.

A Case for Belief

Could it be another reality whereby, instead of outcomes regressing to match displays, performances begin to trend towards results. Vital cogs may yet return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward might resume adding to his goal tally.
• Jadon Sancho might become the force he was during his peak.
• The defensive duo will eventually regain fitness, fortifying a sometimes shaky defence.

Maybe within that lies the possibility of a title challenge, however, it is improbable can continue to depend solely on a single individual.

Enjoying the Ride

Yet, nobody expected this. Few believed Aston Villa would be third at Christmas. And most definitely earlier this season, nobody thought the young forward by the end of the year would be leading a championship pursuit while establishing himself as a vital player for the national team.

The current run should be enjoyed for the very reason that it seems so surreal. When the match-winner faced the Villa faithful at the final whistle conducting the cheers, it was clear to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. Such periods are rare in football and ought to be celebrated.