It was eight weeks in the past that the Villa attacker found himself on the Sunderland turf, appearing bewildered while his coach scolded him over failing to anticipate a through-ball. At that point, as Villa failed to win in six, doubts remained whether Rogers' form were an indicator or the source of Villa's wider issues.
“When Rogers netted his second… Emery tore off his coat, threw his arms wide, and bellowed in delight.”
On Sunday, however, the sideline response was entirely much more joyous. As Rogers curled home his brace-sealing goal to restore the lead for Villa, Emery discarded his jacket, threw his arms wide and roared. The Birmingham club marched on to ten wins in a row and after failing to win their initial half-dozen matches, are somehow just three points off table-toppers Arsenal.
It remains a particularly tough proposition to address. History, the perceived status of Villa, argues against it. Additionally, their performances haven't been wholly dominant during this run, despite the fact the victories have stacked up.
Per the data, on just two occasions have Villa had an expected goals figure notably superior than the other team. For a club which has put together a ten-match winning streak, Villa appear strangely fragile – however at the moment the margins are falling their way.
Their recent policy seems to be to trade blows with rivals and wait for their talisman to bail them out with some clinical strikes. It happened against Leeds, it occurred at West Ham, and once more against Manchester United.
His opener stemmed from a superb shot, arced precisely inside the goal frame from a wide position. The follow-up goal acted as a somewhat messier replica of the opener capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.
“Perhaps Rogers’ right foot is becoming like Arjen Robben’s left: just because you know he’s going to whip the ball into the top corner doesn’t mean you can stop him.”
Reason suggests otherwise. In the recent win, the opposition had more efforts and more direct attempts. The team has triumphed in eight consecutive games by the narrowest of margins. The defence has been breached in all except one of those fixtures.
Regression to the mean could be the biggest rival the club will encounter as the season progresses. Rogers, almost certainly, cannot maintain thrashing his shots into the top corner forever.
Perhaps there is an alternative path where, instead of outcomes regressing to match displays, performances begin to trend towards results. Important figures could still rediscover their best form.
Perhaps there is in that the potential of a genuine bid, but they surely can continue to depend solely on a single individual.
But then, this is a surprise. It seemed improbable Villa would sit in the top three for the holidays. And certainly earlier this season, nobody thought Rogers by the end of the year would be at the forefront of a title charge and appearing as a vital player for the national team.
The current run should be enjoyed for the very reason that it feels so unlikely. When Rogers stood in front of the home supporters when the game ended orchestrating the applause, it was clear to be relishing every moment. Which he fully merits. These runs of form are rare in football and should be relished.
Eva de Vries is a passionate book lover and local writer from Eindhoven.
