Funny thing trying to talk about football over a span of years is that you find yourself running out of things to say. Which hasn’t always stopped me from saying things, but you know what I mean.

Given our recent form and injuries, all compounded by the financial restraints, there are things worth talking about, though. Not exactly the freshest topics in the world, but sometimes things bubble back up to relevance.

While mathematically it’s been on the cards for Villa to win the league, most of us haven’t really bought into the dream. Some have, I’m sure, but they’ve always been whistling past the reality of our depth. And that lack of depth goes back to SCR and PSR, of course. Which means that in the short term, there’s just not a lot Villa can do to significantly increase revenue and build a deeper squad. While tweaks around Villa Park and adding some seats or more premium offerings can add a bit of money, none of that comes close to bridging the huge gaps between us and the entrenched clubs. So Champions League money is the only big short-term boost on offer. Unless someone wants to pay £200m-£300m for Villa Park naming rights.

So here we are in the doldrum months with three key midfielders missing including our best overall player. We can’t be surprised that we’re struggling. City were not long ago blaming all number of woes on Rodri being out. But the bigger point is that we’re meant to be struggling. That’s what the rules almost virtually guarantee. Even if we had everyone available, the sheer number of games in their legs and heads could see us in the same spot.

We also have to remember that Villa have been consistently over-achieving and a downturn of some sort was inevitable. We’ve talked about all this a lot, but it’s not like we have a starting XI as good as anyone else’s and are just missing the quality rotation element, or a wealth of players on the bench who would be starting most everywhere else. Which always brings us back to Emery, as it should. Even though Villa are in a bit of a rut at the moment, the fact we’re still in third and hanging on is remarkable. It’s getting a bit nervy, but I think we always knew it would.

But when the club are struggling and results are frustrating, we want answers. We’ll blame the selections or tactics forgetting that when he has more available, Emery’s delivered, and right now he doesn’t have a whole lot of options.

One thing I found interesting in light of the above and what Emery can or should be doing was an analysis I read in the Athletic about why Villa are bucking the trend and competing at the top given all the above. Basically, the takeaway is that Villa sit almost dead center in a graph charting possession versus counterattacking. This, the writer says, is the key attribute shared by the top sides. I would not disagree with the numbers.

This means that Emery has gotten the philosophy right, which is job one. That we don’t have the required number of players at the necessary levels, well…They’ve tried. The trick is that Villa need what all the leading clubs need, and that’s “polyvalent” players, according to the analysis. Which is a fancy way of saying what we all know: Emery values versatility and adaptability. We hear him say it all the time.

It sometimes seems like it’s just a cliché, but I think there’s a lot to it. We often think “if we had this or that kind of player” we’d be golden. And maybe we would. But Emery isn’t just looking for someone big and fast down the wings. It might be all the rage, but that kind of profile doesn’t necessarily mean you’re getting the rest of what Emery’s style demands. Finding his players on the cheap has proven difficult.

But, it’s also difficult with money. For all the spending, depth and quality, Arsenal are only three wins better so far having played one more match. Players come and go, they’re always looking for more perfect fits, they spend £100m on someone they discard a season or two later. Think how much more integral Eze would be to Villa than he’s been in north London. And I wouldn’t have thought Villa would be six points better off than Chelsea or Pool at the moment.

Guess what I’m saying is that we’d all like there to be some magical tweak that unlocks things. But I don’t think there really is. The players are who they are. Emery’s down to bare bones. The rules keep us thin. Three guaranteed starters are out including our most influential player and our best defender. Ollie just isn’t right, for whatever reason(s). Rogers has run himself into the ground. Sancho hasn’t panned out the way we might’ve liked. Malen going came down to money, same as Elliott, neither player being influential enough all around to keep hold. Guessand ended up being a bust.

Villa are going to simply have to keep finding ways to grind out points, and we have to do better against so-called lesser teams. Villa’s recent form against sides we’ve expected to beat is obviously what’s been troubling. Instead of extending our advantage or simply maintaining the same gap, we’ve gotten reeled in a bit.

All of that said, however, Villa still sit third. We control our destiny. We have Youri and SJM coming back. Tammy might end up being a godsend. With any luck, we might just get better and fresher when we need it most.

A win tonight and we’d be only seven points off the top, and maybe six clear of fourth with 10 games to go. If Villa can just weather the storm a little longer, we might be on our way back to the promised land with a bit more cash in hand.

Over to you.