I agree with your first point, Chelsea and Aston Villa cannot compete for the title this season, but maybe they can increase the competition and become title contenders with their performance starting to improve.
Chelsea is starting to aim for more wins in each match, while they are still not stable. Chelsea's goal productivity is starting to improve although I would prefer to see them play stronger on all linea. The defense is not too bad, but if Chelsea can strengthen the defense, then the chances of losing are somewhat reduced. Being in 4th place in the standings is certainly good for Chelsea, but they are prone to slipping because of their unstable performance. Aston Villa threatens because they have the same points, but Aston Villa is also not too different from Chelsea.
There's nothing concerning this season, we know how the English Premier League end. Last season, watching Arsenal bottling the league for the second time for Manchester City was outrageous and this season, there's whole entirely new pressing pattern for Gunners. Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola will eventually dominate the current league as they've started ruling their lane. The EPL is very fierce with competitive clubs seeking for major titles. Our concerns about Chelsea and Aston Villa this season, they will contend for the top four this season but I don't see them winning the league because they're not yet in that prime form. The Blues headcoach, Enzo Maresca working on his tactics to work for the club. Chelsea failed to win Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge, what's it cause? Aston Villa headcoach, Unai Emery knows his spot and weakness, he will work on fixing that and he's trembling for bigger chances.