Morgan Rogers' Rich Vein of Form Drives Villa's Improbable Championship Bid

Just 60 days in the past that Morgan Rogers found himself on the Stadium of Light pitch, seeming perplexed as his coach admonished him for missing a penetrating pass. Back then, as the club endured a six-game winless run, the question was if his displays were a sign or the source for Villa's wider issues.

This weekend, however, the sideline response was entirely far more favourable. As Rogers drilled in his brace-sealing goal to restore the lead for Villa, the boss ripped off his winter coat, spread his arms and roared. The team were on their way to ten wins in a row and despite not winning their initial half-dozen games, now sit only three points behind table-toppers Arsenal.

Is Aston Villa Serious Hopefuls?

This is a rather hard query to answer. Past precedent, a general sense of this institution, suggests not. Furthermore, they have not been completely commanding in many games, despite the fact the victories have stacked up.

Per Opta, on just two occasions has the side posted an expected goals figure more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a side who have put together 10 in a row, they seem weirdly vulnerable – however right now the margins are falling their way.

The Rogers Recipe

The prevailing tactic appears to be to exchange chances with the opposition and then rely on their talisman to save the day with two clinical strikes. This occurred away to Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and once more when facing United.

His opener stemmed from a brilliant finish, arced just inside the goal frame from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal was essentially a somewhat messier replica of the opener capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

How Long Can This Continue?

Common sense dictates no. In the recent win, the opponents managed a greater number of attempts and more efforts on goal. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those fixtures.

A reversion to average might be the biggest rival they will encounter over the coming weeks. Their key man, in all likelihood, will not continue to thrashing his shots into the net's top corner forever.

Potential for Growth

Could it be an alternative path where, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs may yet find their top level.

• The centre-forward may begin to scoring again.
• The attacking talent might become the performer he was at Borussia Dortmund.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres will eventually regain fitness, bolstering a periodically leaky defence.

Maybe within that lies the seeds of a title challenge, however, it is improbable can persist in leaning entirely on a single individual.

Relishing the Unlikely

However, nobody expected this. Few believed the team would sit in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt back in October, few could imagine Rogers as the year closed would be at the forefront of a hunt for the title while looking like a crucial Three Lions star.

This winning streak is to be savoured for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. When Rogers positioned himself before the Villa faithful when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These spells are uncommon in the sport and should be relished.