Seems like most everyone who needs something to talk about for a living has decided that Villa are in the race for the Premier League title. A lovely sentiment, but one I’m paying no attention to, just like Emery. Is it possible? Sure. Likely? Hardly.

First off, you look at the upcoming fixtures as others have noted and it’s quite a gantlet ahead of us. Who knows how many points will be taken or dropped. I’ve not done comparisons with the teams around us, but I’m sure someone nipping at our heels is going to have it easier. While it’s nice to have that ‘invincible’ feeling swirling about the club, we know Villa are anything but. Faced with a similar set of fixtures, Arsenal and City are going to take more points. At least that’s what I’d bet on.

What Villa have done is take full advantage of a favorable run to set us up heading into the next stretch. That’s it, and it’s not nothing. Three points from Arsenal was a true bonus. So, too, probably coming away with all three at Brighton. So Villa have done what they could to position or insulate themselves from inevitable reversals and make up for the poor start. We’re where we’d like to be. And honestly, it’s remarkable.

(My view backed up by nothing is that if you split with those around you and get more from the ‘easier’ matches, you come out ahead. It works in my head.)

That’s job one to this point, and they’ve ticked the box. What’s been gratifying is that we’ve been markedly better following our European nights, otherwise we wouldn’t be where we are. So we can see the players have learned and adapted. Some of the performances may not have been works of art, but they’ve been professional. Results have been ground out, the necessary mentality forged.

Would Villa refuse a title? Of course not. But it’s about depth and a different mentality. I could be very wrong, but being in the spotlight and needing to keep pace with deeper, more expensive, and more experienced sides…It’s a lot to ask given the quality of the league. Wolves was a struggle. Leeds and Sunderland have given big clubs fits. Forest are under-performing. Palace have our number. Things we all know.

So, thank you very much everyone who’s saying “You have to say Villa are in the race, yes,” but I’m not having any of it.

It’s much more achievable aiming for that top-four or -five finish. But if pretending you’re playing for the title lands you in the CL places, that’s great. And then, of course, there’s finally winning something.

Ah, Europa
The Europa League has sort of flown under the radar so far, which is fine. I’ve sort of whistled past the graveyard here because I really don’t like being installed as pre-tournament favorites. But obviously given Emery’s previous successes in the competition and the level of competition, it has to be a primary area of focus within the team. Villa really need to win something and winning this solves the league standing pressure.

But you can’t put all your money on winning a given tournament. Spurs got lucky, and Villa really need the extra income and prestige that come from returning to the Champions League. You have to keep playing for it all on two fronts.

Regardless, Thursday and Basel is as big as any match we’ve played so far. Gaining home-leg advantage could be crucial, especially since we’ve managed to turn Villa Park into a fortress. And of course we’ll want to see a couple rivals stumble.

Emery Magic
Our man is once again getting the credit he deserves, which is less than the credit I think he really deserves. When you’re a Villan, you’re not just seeing this string of results in summaries, standings, or highlights. You see all the paper, tape, and glue holding it together. You see what I believe to be deliberately ‘slow’ (or conservative, energy-conserving) starts aiming to shorten games into more like 45 minutes of full effort (which is why I believe Emery was so incensed by the nature of the goals conceded at Brighton). You see the moments of magic overcoming a relative paucity of big chances. You see Ollie struggling in real time, not just in the abstract. You see the injury management, the rotation, the inspired substitutions. You see the tactical tweaks, which are often almost too subtle to suss out.

Keeping all this together is not easy. Villa can’t just go out and run past teams chasing long balls. We can’t out-press. We can’t out-muscle. The devil is in the details and getting players to remain focused on very fine points. It can feel a little painful at times, the seeming lethargy or ponderousness. But it’s a philosophy. It keeps us in games. It provides a mental framework that counters exhaustion and limits danger. It’s very particular and definitely at odds with the “just out-athlete them” approach gaining favor.

The whole thing can a bit chicken-or-egg. Is Emery playing to the strengths of what he’s got, or is Emery taking what he’s got and putting it into his system? I think it’s pretty clear it’s the latter. And that’s why his system is what it is: It’s how you make the best of what you’ve got.

It also makes me look a bit silly for wondering why Cash checks back so often. And credit where it’s due: I’ve long been a ‘critic’ of his, and he’s been outstanding so far this year. (And by critic I mean it’s not that I think he’s a poor player, just that there are better RBs out there.) He’s found his best football. Seems more locked in, more assured. But you can say that about almost anyone in this side.

So. Deep breaths, heads on straight, and let’s hope Villa can go get the points as important as any on offer Thursday.

Over to you.