Morgan Rogers' Golden Spell Fuels Aston Villa's Improbable Title Charge

It was 60 days in the past that the young forward was standing on the Stadium of Light pitch, seeming perplexed as his coach scolded him for not reading a pass in behind. At that point, as the club failed to win in six, the question was whether his performances were a symptom or the source for the team's wider issues.

On Sunday, however, the sideline response was entirely decidedly more positive. After Rogers curled home his second to reclaim the lead for Villa, Emery discarded his winter coat, opened his arms and shouted in triumph. Villa marched on to a tenth straight victory , after failing to win any of their first six games, now sit a mere three points off pace-setters Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Genuine Title Contenders?

That’s a rather hard proposition to address. Past precedent, a general sense of the club, indicates otherwise. Moreover, they have not been entirely convincing during this run, despite the fact the victories have accumulated.

Per Opta, twice all season has the team had an expected goals figure significantly higher than their opponents. For a side that have put together ten consecutive victories, Villa seem strangely fragile – yet at the moment the tight outcomes are falling their way.

The Winning Formula

Their recent policy seems to be to engage in a shootout with an opponent and wait for their talisman to bail them out with some crisp finishes. It happened at Leeds, it happened in London, and it happened against United.

Rogers' first goal originated from a superb shot, bent precisely inside the post from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of his first capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

Is It Sustainable?

Logic says not. In the recent win, Manchester United registered more shots and more shots on target. They have secured their last eight victories by a single goal. They have allowed goals in nearly all of those matches.

Regression to the mean might be the greatest opponent they have to face as the season progresses. The forward, almost certainly, cannot keep on thrashing the ball into the top corner week in, week out.

A Case for Belief

Could it be a different scenario where, 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 in Germany.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually come back from the treatment room, bolstering a sometimes shaky defensive unit.

Maybe within that lies the potential of a genuine bid, but they surely can continue to depend solely on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

However, this was unforeseen. Few believed Villa would occupy in a Champions League place in December. And most definitely back in October, few could imagine the young forward by the end of the year would be spearheading a title charge and appearing as a crucial player for the national team.

The current run is to be savoured exactly since it seems so surreal. When the match-winner positioned himself before the Villa faithful after the match conducting the cheers, it was clear to be thoroughly enjoying it. Which he fully merits. These spells are rare in football and must be appreciated.