Morgan Rogers' Golden Spell Propels Villa's Unlikely Push for Glory

It was eight weeks ago when the young forward was standing on the Sunderland turf, seeming perplexed as Unai Emery scolded him for not reading a penetrating pass. Back then, with the team failed to win in six, the question was if Rogers' form were a sign or a cause of the team's wider issues.

On Sunday, in contrast, the manager's outburst was far more favourable. As Rogers swept in his brace-sealing goal to reclaim Villa's lead, the boss discarded his winter coat, opened his arms and bellowed. Villa marched on to ten wins in a row and having failed to win their initial half-dozen matches, now sit just three points adrift of table-toppers Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Genuine Challengers?

It remains a particularly tough proposition to answer. History, the perceived status of this institution, suggests not. Furthermore, their performances haven't been completely commanding in many games, despite the fact the positive results have accumulated.

Per Opta, on just two occasions has the side posted an xG notably superior than their opponents. For a club which has strung together 10 in a row, Villa appear curiously susceptible – but currently the margins are swinging for them.

The Reliant Strategy

The prevailing tactic appears to be to engage in a shootout with the opposition and then rely on their star man to bail them out with a couple of precise efforts. It happened against Leeds, it occurred against West Ham, and it happened against the Red Devils.

Rogers' first goal originated from a superb shot, arced precisely inside the post from the corner of the box. For his second proved to be a slightly less clean iteration of his first capitalizing on a setup by his strike partner.

Can It Last?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opponents registered more shots and more shots on target. They have won each of their last eight by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in all but one of those games.

A reversion to average might be the most significant challenge they must confront over the coming weeks. The forward, surely, cannot maintain blasting the ball past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.

Potential for Growth

Perhaps there is another reality whereby, instead of outcomes regressing to match displays, performances begin to trend towards results. Key players could still return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward might resume finding the net regularly.
• Jadon Sancho could transform into the player he resembled in Germany.
• The defensive duo will eventually return from injury, bolstering a periodically leaky defensive unit.

This could contain the potential of a title challenge, however, it is improbable cannot keep relying on Morgan Rogers.

Savoring the Moment

However, this was unforeseen. Few believed the team would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely two months ago, nobody thought the young forward as the year closed would be spearheading a championship pursuit and appearing as a crucial Three Lions star.

The current run is to be savoured for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. When the hero faced the Villa faithful at the final whistle leading the celebrations, he seemed to be loving the experience. As he deserves to. These runs of form are rare in football and must be appreciated.