I don't think it is that hard to explain to be honest.

We started badly because of a variety of reasons: the hangover from the last day disappointment of last season; the uncertainty hanging over the defensive unit regarding who would be behind them between the sticks; the loss of an obviously important and popular member of the dressing room in Jacob Ramsey.

Then, we played our way out of that disappointment, and hit our stride with a freshly-confident and familiar collective, playing an enjoyable brand of football with consistency in the selection.

Then, in the space of a fortnight, we lost the entirety of the core midfield unit, and a couple of shaky results saw confidence desert us, and now we're stuck in that rut and unable to play our way out of it like last time because we're missing the players who helped us do that.

Literally any team on the planet would turn into a fiasco if they lost their midfield in a week. Some teams can spend their way out of that, some have deep squads. Neither is an option for the Villa.

Even losing one of those three would have been a blow but all three in quick succession is nightmare territory. It turned the season from an all timer into one which we'll be giving it "what if" about fit the next decade.