This Remarkable Golden Spell Drives The Villans' Surprising Championship Bid

Just two months prior when Morgan Rogers stood on the Stadium of Light pitch, appearing bewildered as Unai Emery admonished him over missing a through-ball. At that point, as the club failed to win in six, the question was if Rogers' form were a sign or a cause of the side's broader struggles.

This weekend, in contrast, the touchline reaction proved to be far more favourable. When Rogers swept in his second strike to reclaim the lead for Villa, the Spanish tactician discarded his winter coat, threw his arms wide and roared. Villa marched on to ten wins in a row , despite not winning any of their first six matches, find themselves a mere three points off the leaders Arsenal.

Is This Team Legitimate Challengers?

It remains a rather hard proposition to answer. History, the traditional standing of this institution, indicates otherwise. Additionally, they have not been entirely convincing during this run, despite the fact the wins have piled up.

Per Opta, twice all season has the team had an xG significantly higher than the opposition. For a club which has strung together 10 in a row, the Villans look curiously susceptible – but right now the margins are falling their way.

The Winning Formula

Their recent policy looks like to engage in a shootout with the opposition and then rely on Rogers to save the day with some crisp finishes. This occurred at Leeds, it occurred in London, and again against Manchester United.

The initial strike originated from a brilliant finish, curled right inside the post from a wide position. His brace-completing goal acted as a slightly less clean iteration of goal number one capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

How Long Can This Continue?

Common sense dictates no. In the recent win, the opponents registered more efforts and more efforts on goal. Villa have secured their last eight victories by the narrowest of margins. They have allowed goals in all except one of those fixtures.

Regression to the mean might be the biggest rival the club will encounter over the coming weeks. The forward, almost certainly, will not continue to drilling the ball into the net's top corner indefinitely.

A Case for Belief

Could it be an alternative path where, rather than results trending towards performances, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs could still rediscover their best form.

• Ollie Watkins may begin to adding to his goal tally.
• Jadon Sancho could transform into the player he showed in Germany.
• The defensive duo are set to return from injury, bolstering an occasionally vulnerable backline.

Maybe within that lies the possibility of a title challenge, but they surely can continue to depend solely on a single individual.

Enjoying the Ride

However, nobody expected this. Nobody thought the team would be in the top three for the holidays. And most definitely two months ago, nobody thought the midfielder as the year closed would be spearheading a title charge and appearing as a crucial player for the national team.

This remarkable period is to be savoured exactly since it feels so unlikely. When Rogers faced the North End at the final whistle conducting the cheers, he appeared to be relishing every moment. As he deserves to. Such periods are uncommon in the sport and must be appreciated.