What We Learned from Aston Villa's Wins over Leicester City and Crystal Palace

Aston Villa's wildly unpredictable season continued when the beleaguered Villans picked up a pair of victories against Leicester City and Crystal Palace.

Villa's opponents may not have been the toughest competition, but the Holte Enders will hardly care as their team is now unbeaten in five games. Villa are now comfortably sitting in 11th place, sandwiched between two talented teams, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.

With the atmosphere surrounding Villa Park becoming less hostile, Paul Lambert must be glad to relieve some of the pressure placed on him. There is little time to enjoy the moment, however, and reflecting upon the successes and failures from these recent matches will give the team the best chance of continued stability.

Here are the crucial takeaways from Villa's triumphant encounters with Leicester City and Crystal Palace.

Ciaran Clark and Jores Okore Are Flourishing Together

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

A key factor behind Villa's pair of wins has been their reinforced defence. This improvement at the back can be primarily attributed to the enforced pairing of Ciaran Clark and Jores Okore as the team's centre-backs. 

Both Clark and Okore have been praised as bright prospects in the past, but the manager had been unconvinced of their abilities. The two men were fourth- and fifth-choice options just a few weeks ago but injuries to Ron Vlaar, Philippe Senderos and Nathan Baker left Lambert with no choice but to start the duo of young defenders together and the manager may have stumbled upon a brilliant pairing.

Clark has shown himself to be aerially dominant and a good tackler, but he has struggled in the past due to his lack of mobility and his hesitance to take charge of situations. His weaknesses have been offset well by the dynamic Okore, who is seemingly everywhere on the pitch without being overly irresponsible or rash.

The partnership of Clark and Okore is still young but based on the early signs Lambert may have found a long-term solution to the seemingly inevitable departure of Vlaar. Clark and Okore have deserved their plaudits and should be allowed to continue their growth together in the starting XI.  

The Injury List May Grow Too Large to Overcome

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images

While Villa's reserve defenders have proven up to the task of covering up for Villa's injury woes, Villa's midfield is not in nearly as good a shape. Both Ashley Westwood and Tom Cleverley were forced off the pitch with injuries on Sunday, joining Fabian Delph and Joe Cole in the recovery room.

Villa are now left with few options in the middle of the park. A midfield trio of Carlos Sanchez, Kieran Richardson and Charles N'Zogbia will likely be tried, but the group does not inspire much confidence. Only Sanchez is a natural midfielder among them and Villa could easily struggle to win midfield battles with this setup.

N'Zogbia has been extremely poor this season and has been very lucky to keep his place. His constant giveaways will be even more dangerous with Westwood not present to help mop up his mistakes. Richardson has not been nearly as damaging, but he has hardly wowed in his brief time at Villa Park either.  

Leandro Bacuna could come into the team, but the Dutchman has barely played this season and seems to be lacking in confidence. Similarly, Chris Herd has rarely seen the pitch in recent years and, based on Lambert's past treatment of the player, appears just as unlikely to step in.

The most exciting addition to the starting lineup would be Jack Grealish, but Lambert has been conservative in his use of the youngster thus far. No matter which option he chooses, Lambert will likely have to deploy an untested combination of players that will be difficult to rely on. 

Christian Benteke Is Making His Presence Known

Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Perhaps the least surprising factor in Villa's wins has been the involvement of Christian Benteke. Villa's prolific striker was just returning to the pitch after a long-term injury when he was forced to sit out for three consecutive games after receiving a red card against Tottenham, stalling Villa's offensive momentum. 

With Benteke back in the fold, Villa's attack looks greatly improved. Benteke's tremendous ability both in the air and with his back to goal were previously lacking in Lambert's side. In addition, while he is often flagged offside, Benteke's willingness to make runs gives Villa more avenues to play killer passes that give Villa excellent scoring opportunities. 

Benteke's presence was immediately felt upon his return against Crystal Palace. Villa's goal came purely from Benteke's strength and desire to win the ball, his directness to charge towards the goal and his calm demeanor in the box to swiftly finish the chance and score the lone goal of the match.

It was a goal that no other player on Villa's roster was capable of scoring and was a huge lift for both the team and the fans. The Belgian may not have gotten on the scoresheet against Leicester, but he was lively throughout the contest and supplied a perfect pass for Alan Hutton to score Villa's decisive, second goal.

Alan Hutton Has Been Villa's Player of the Season so Far

Stu Forster/Getty Images

In a season full of twists and turns there has been no greater surprise than the shocking resurgence of Alan Hutton. The right-back's match-winning goal against Leicester City put the feather in the cap of a stunning start to the season for the Scotsman.

When Lambert arrived at Villa Park, the manager quickly and unceremoniously exiled Hutton from the first team. A series of loan spells kept Hutton somewhat active, but a permanent buyer failed to materialise and Hutton was left to train with the kids as his contract ran down.

Hutton was surprisingly included in Villa's pre-season preparations, and he seized his chance to prove his manager and the fans wrong. His strong play won him the starting job and Hutton has delivered staggeringly consistent and effective performances over the course of the season so far. He has been disciplined defensively and a consistent outlet down the right for Villa attacks. 

Against all odds, and to the shock of quite possibly everyone associated with Aston Villa Football Club, Alan Hutton has been the team's player of the season thus far and his performances against Crystal Palace and Leicester City have only cemented this fact.