This Remarkable Golden Spell Drives Villa's Surprising Title Charge

A mere two months ago when the Villa attacker found himself on the pitch at Sunderland, looking confused while his coach scolded him over missing a penetrating pass. At that point, with the team went six without a win, the question was if Rogers' form were a sign or the reason of Villa's more general malaise.

On Sunday, in contrast, the manager's outburst proved to be much more joyous. After the in-form star swept in his brace-sealing goal to reclaim the lead for Villa, the Spanish tactician ripped off his coat, threw his arms wide and shouted in triumph. The team marched on to ten wins in a row , having failed to win any of their first six games, find themselves a mere three points off the leaders Arsenal.

Are They Genuine Title Contenders?

That’s a rather hard question to address. History, a general sense of Villa, indicates otherwise. Additionally, they've rarely been completely commanding this season, while the positive results have stacked up.

As per statistical analysis, twice all season has the side registered an expected goals figure notably superior than the other team. For a team that have just won ten consecutive victories, Villa look weirdly vulnerable – but right now the fine lines are falling their way.

The Reliant Strategy

The current approach appears to be to exchange chances with an opponent before hoping their star man to save the day with two crisp finishes. This was the case against Leeds, it occurred in London, and once more against the Red Devils.

Rogers' first goal originated from an exquisite effort, bent right inside the post from the edge of the area. His brace-completing goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of the opener capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

Is It Sustainable?

Reason suggests otherwise. Against United, the opposition registered more shots and more efforts on goal. The team has won each of their last eight by a single goal. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those matches.

A reversion to average could be the biggest rival the club will encounter as the season progresses. Their key man, almost certainly, cannot maintain thrashing the ball past despairing goalkeepers indefinitely.

Potential for Growth

Maybe there exists an alternative path where, instead of luck running out, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Key players might still return to peak condition.

• The centre-forward might resume adding to his goal tally.
• The attacking talent might become the force he was during his peak.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are due to come back from the treatment room, bolstering a periodically leaky backline.

This could contain the seeds of a genuine bid, but they surely can continue to depend solely on Morgan Rogers.

Savoring the Moment

Yet, this was unforeseen. Nobody thought the team would occupy in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt back in October, nobody thought Rogers as the year closed would be spearheading a championship pursuit while looking like a crucial player for the national team.

This remarkable period is to be savoured for the very reason that it appears so improbable. As Rogers stood in front of the Villa faithful at the final whistle leading the celebrations, it was clear to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. These runs of form are rare in football and ought to be celebrated.