Morgan Rogers' Golden Spell Propels Villa's Unlikely Title Charge

It was 60 days prior when Morgan Rogers was standing on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered while his coach admonished him for failing to anticipate a through-ball. During that period, as the club endured a six-game winless run, it wasn't clear if his displays were an indicator or a cause for the side's wider issues.

This weekend, however, the touchline reaction was decidedly more positive. When the England international drilled in his second strike to restore Villa's lead, the Spanish tactician discarded his coat, threw his arms wide and bellowed. The team continued to a 10th successive win , having failed to win their initial half-dozen games, find themselves only three points behind pace-setters Arsenal.

Is This Team Serious Title Contenders?

This is an exceptionally difficult query to answer. History, the traditional standing of Villa, suggests not. Furthermore, they've rarely been completely commanding in many games, while the positive results have stacked up.

As per statistical analysis, on just two occasions has the side registered an expected goals figure significantly higher than the opposition. For a team which has strung together a ten-match winning streak, Villa appear strangely fragile – yet at the moment the tight outcomes are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

Their recent policy appears to be to engage in a shootout with rivals before hoping their star man to bail them out with a couple of clinical strikes. This occurred at Leeds, it happened against West Ham, and again against Manchester United.

The initial strike came from an exquisite effort, arced right inside the goal frame from the corner of the box. The follow-up goal was essentially a slight scruffier version of goal number one as he seized on an Ollie Watkins lay-off.

How Long Can This Continue?

Logic says not. In the recent win, the opponents had more shots and more efforts on goal. Villa have won each of their last eight by the narrowest of margins. They’ve conceded in all but one of those games.

A statistical correction may well be the greatest opponent they have to face in the near future. Rogers, in all likelihood, cannot keep on thrashing the ball into the top corner indefinitely.

Potential for Growth

Perhaps there is an alternative path where, rather than outcomes regressing to match displays, performances begin to trend towards results. Important figures might still return to peak condition.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to scoring again.
• The attacking talent might become the player he showed in Germany.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to return from injury, strengthening a periodically leaky defence.

This could contain the seeds of a title challenge, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on one man.

Savoring the Moment

Yet, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable Villa would be in a Champions League place in December. And most definitely two months ago, few could imagine the midfielder by the end of the year would be spearheading a hunt for the title while establishing himself as an essential Three Lions star.

This remarkable period should be enjoyed precisely because it appears so improbable. As Rogers stood in front of the Villa faithful when the game ended orchestrating the applause, it was clear to be relishing every moment. Which he fully merits. These runs of form do not happen often and must be appreciated.