It could amount to a triumph of reason. Arsenal top the Premier League table after seeming to plan for every eventuality, fill in every gap in the squad, take care of every small detail. Arsenal have the best defence, the fewest defeats, the reputation as the set-piece specialists. They are building a title challenge on the most solid of foundations.
But the battle at the summit could be between the logical and the illogical. Aston Villa’s surge defies received wisdom and footballing orthodoxy. History and geography, too, given that Villa have not been champions since 1981 and only one Midlands club has in the Premier League era: Leicester, whose glory was more stirring because it was illogical.
