The Astonishing Golden Spell Fuels Villa's Surprising Push for Glory

Just two months ago that the Villa attacker found himself on the Sunderland turf, looking confused as the Villa manager berated him for not reading a through-ball. During that period, as Villa failed to win in six, the question was whether his performances were an indicator or the reason for Villa's wider issues.

In the latest match, however, the touchline reaction was much more joyous. When the in-form star drilled in his second strike to restore the lead for Villa, the boss discarded his coat, spread his arms and roared. The team continued to a tenth straight victory and despite not winning any of their first six matches, now sit only three points off the leaders Arsenal.

Is This Team Serious Title Contenders?

It remains a rather hard proposition to answer. Past precedent, the perceived status of this institution, indicates otherwise. Moreover, they have not been wholly dominant this season, while the wins have accumulated.

Per the data, in only two games has the side posted an xG more than 0.5 greater than their opponents. For a team who have just won ten consecutive victories, they seem strangely fragile – but at the moment the fine lines are going in their favour.

The Rogers Recipe

The current approach seems to be to exchange chances with the opposition before hoping their talisman to save the day with a couple of precise efforts. It happened away to Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and again when facing United.

The initial strike originated from a superb shot, bent right inside the goal frame from the edge of the area. For his second acted as a somewhat messier replica of the opener capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

Is It Sustainable?

Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, Manchester United had a greater number of attempts and more shots on target. Villa have triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in nearly all of those fixtures.

A statistical correction might be the greatest opponent they will encounter over the coming weeks. The forward, surely, will not continue to drilling the ball into the net's top corner indefinitely.

Potential for Growth

Maybe there exists an alternative path in which, instead of outcomes regressing to match displays, the level of play rises to match the results. Vital cogs could still rediscover their best form.

• The main striker could start adding to his goal tally.
• The winger may rediscover the player he resembled at Borussia Dortmund.
• The injured centre-backs will eventually regain fitness, fortifying a periodically leaky defence.

Maybe within that lies the potential of a genuine bid, however, it is improbable can continue to depend solely on a single individual.

Savoring the Moment

But then, nobody expected this. It seemed improbable the team would be in the top three for the holidays. And without a doubt back in October, few could imagine the midfielder now would be at the forefront of a hunt for the title and appearing as an essential player for the national team.

This remarkable period must be cherished precisely because it feels so unlikely. As Rogers stood in front of the North End when the game ended conducting the cheers, he seemed to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. Such periods do not happen often and should be relished.