Which way should Villa's season so far be viewed?

There are two ways to view Aston Villa's current season.

One perspective is that they have squandered a great opportunity to build on last season's success and capitalise on Arsenal and Manchester City's recent stumbles to cement a place in the top three.

Alternatively, despite dropping to ninth, they are still only one point away from third, with everything to play for.

However, there is a brutal reality to the latter scenario. After the international break, Villa will find themselves in a dogfight for the European spots alongside teams like Newcastle and Chelsea, who do not have the added strain of Champions League football.

Zooming out, judging by the calendar-year results over 29 games, Villa would rank seventh in the league, even trailing Manchester United, a club that recently sacked their manager after a disappointing year.

Key players have certainly been out of form and only substitute Jhon Duran's goals have saved Villa from what could have been an uglier set of league results.

If the players deserve some criticism for recent performances, then even the usually untouchable Unai Emery has made some key mistakes. Should Tyrone Mings have started, after well over a year out, in such a crucial Champions League match against Club Brugge? A win would have set Villa up nicely for a potential top-eight spot, as, overall, the next four games will be tougher than the first four.

The Mings decision echoes Emery's choice to bring Clement Lenglet out of the cold in the Conference League semi-final first leg against Olympiakos instead of relying on Pau Torres. Lenglet's unnecessary shirt pull nullified Leon Bailey's early goal that would have put Villa ahead and his rustiness directly led to two conceded goals, ultimately costing Villa a shot at the trophy.

After the international break, solidifying Villa's defence is essential for the improvement needed to avoid an anti-climactic season. Consistency in selection may be key to achieving that.

Find more from David Michael at My Old Man Said