This Remarkable Golden Spell Fuels The Villans' Improbable Push for Glory

A mere 60 days prior when the Villa attacker stood on the pitch at Sunderland, appearing bewildered as Unai Emery scolded him over failing to anticipate a pass in behind. Back then, with the team went six without a win, doubts remained whether his displays were a sign or a cause of the team's more general malaise.

This weekend, though, the touchline reaction was far more favourable. After the England international swept in his second strike to reinstate his side's advantage, the boss discarded his winter coat, threw his arms wide and bellowed. Villa marched on to a tenth straight victory and despite not winning their initial half-dozen fixtures, are somehow only three points behind the leaders Arsenal.

Are They Serious Hopefuls?

This is an exceptionally difficult query to address. Past precedent, a general sense of Villa, argues against it. Furthermore, their performances haven't been entirely convincing during this run, despite the fact the positive results have stacked up.

Per statistical analysis, twice all season has the team posted an xG more than 0.5 greater than the opposition. For a team that have put together ten consecutive victories, Villa appear weirdly vulnerable – yet at the moment the fine lines are going in their favour.

The Winning Formula

Their recent policy looks like to exchange chances with the opposition before hoping their star man to save the day with some crisp finishes. This occurred against Leeds, it happened at West Ham, and it happened versus Manchester United.

The initial strike stemmed from a brilliant finish, bent precisely inside the upright from a wide position. The follow-up goal was essentially a slight scruffier version of his first capitalizing on a pass from Watkins.

How Long Can This Continue?

Reason suggests otherwise. During the latest victory, the opponents had more shots and more shots on target. The team has secured their last eight victories by just one goal. The defence has been breached in all but one of those matches.

Regression to the mean may well be the greatest opponent the club must confront in the near future. Rogers, almost certainly, cannot maintain blasting the football into the net's top corner week in, week out.

Reasons for Optimism

Maybe there exists an alternative path whereby, instead of luck running out, the team's displays improve to justify the wins. Vital cogs could still find their top level.

• The main striker may begin to scoring again.
• The attacking talent may rediscover the player he resembled in Germany.
• Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres are set to return from injury, fortifying a sometimes shaky defence.

This could contain the potential of a genuine bid, yet it seems unlikely can continue to depend solely on a single individual.

Enjoying the Ride

But then, this is a surprise. It seemed improbable Aston Villa would sit third at Christmas. And without a doubt back in October, nobody thought the young forward as the year closed would be spearheading a hunt for the title and appearing as an essential England player.

This winning streak should be enjoyed exactly since it appears so improbable. When Rogers faced the Villa faithful when the game ended orchestrating the applause, he seemed to be relishing every moment. Which he fully merits. These runs of form do not happen often and should be relished.