As you said, the clubs currently ranked in the top 5 are quite lucky because Chelsea and Man United are not in the hunt this season because of their inconsistent performance this season. And don't forget that Newcastle this season also experienced setbacks like Man United and Chelsea. It's just that Aston Villa is surprisingly involved in the hunt this season.
But with around 17 matches remaining, it does not rule out the possibility that all the teams ranked in the top 5 will be able to maintain their consistency for the remainder of this season. Because it could be that Man United, like last season, suddenly continues to get positive results in the remaining games at the end of the season and suddenly rises to 3rd place like last season. Currently Newcastle and Chelsea are also struggling to overcome their performance which has not improved. But they will definitely improve at some point, be it this season or the next season.
Imagine how boring it would be if the same teams could claim the top 5 every season. Sometimes teams attract sponsors, find funding and get the opportunity to become more competitive in the championship. Chelsea and Manchester United are in a protracted crisis, it’s hard to say that they do not have sufficient funding, there is something else there, in the case of Manchester United, I believe that the reason there is that the club is trying to find some kind of alternative to the coach, when they just need to hire the best of the best. Chelsea at one point did the same thing, and now they need to strengthen the team, but instead they are not trying to achieve results with the players they have.