Where Aston Villa now sit in global power rankings after welcome upturn
Aston Villa have made another slow start to a season, but the signs of recovery are already there.
Just like 12 months ago, the Villans have taken their time to get out of the starting blocks.
But as we saw last season, Unai Emery has the ability to turn things around and get the most out of the players he has available to him.
Villa's 3-2 win at Tottenham Hotspur prior to the three-week international break instantly lifted spirits.
That came after a 3-1 win at Coventry City to advance in the Carabao Cup, making it back-to-back victories.
And it is three wins in four when also accounting for the 3-2 win at Club Brugge in the Champions League, all of which has helped Villa climb Opta's global rankings.
Where do Aston Villa rank among world's best teams right now?
Villa are 16th in the Premier League after five rounds of matches. It goes without saying a lot more was expected.
The Villans are the joint-third lowest scorers with four goals, while only five teams have conceded more than their nine.
Three of those goals at the right end came last weekend - and what a massive, morale-boosting win that was in North London.
It should never have been in doubt, though, as Villa have won five of their last seven Premier League away games against Spurs.
Thanks to that win, Villa have climbed two spots in Opta's power rankings from last week.
The West Midlands outfit are now back in the top 10, directly above Serie A heavyweights Inter Milan.
Manchester United and - remarkably - Real Madrid are the two teams directly above Villa right now.
Brighton, PSG, Liverpool and Barcelona are next on the list, with Manchester City then in third, Bayern Munich second and Arsenal first.
Where are Aston Villa projected to finish in Premier League?
Nobody doubts that Emery is capable of once again turning things around at Villa Park.
The real question is exactly how much can he squeeze out of this current group after such a disrupted summer?
Opta's supercomputer can certainly see the Villans rising up the Premier League, but only as far as 10th place.
Emery's side are projected to register around 52 points, seeing them finish just behind Leeds United and Newcastle United right in mid-table.
The Villans are given only a 13.18 per cent chance of finishing in a Champions League spot.
Relegation, meanwhile is a 7.93 per cent likelihood at this stage.
The supercomputer certainly does not fancy Villa, but then nor did it this time last year and we all know what happened then.