Villa have won only three of 14 league encounters under Houllier as alleged bust-ups with several senior players and a lengthy injury list have taken their toll. Next on the agenda is a trip on Sunday to champions Chelsea, who won the corresponding fixture 7-1 last season. It is in sharp contrast to three successive top six finishes under Martin O'Neill. Houllier is refusing to reveal why he believes Villa's fortunes have declined so sharply in 12 months but he has the belief in his present squad to climb clear of danger. Houllier said: "With the league position we are in, there is obviously a danger of relegation. "It is even more so because the players finished in a higher position last season. "You have to be aware that we have to look at the drop zone more than up front at the moment. "But the best way to pick up is to react and get back into winning ways. "Sometimes you get bumps and it is rocky at the moment for many reasons but we will get through it. "At some stage you know who you can go to war with and who you can't go with. "But we are not at this stage yet." Houllier added: "The team needs more to know that I've got faith in them. I trust them, they are good players, and they haven't changed. "They are still good players. "When you have a bad spell, it is not down to one man. It is sometimes down to several factors. "We are aware we are going through a difficult period. I am convinced we will turn that over at some stage." Houllier is also well aware that the picture will look a lot brighter with even a couple of positive results. He said: "It is very funny because you win two games and suddenly you are near Europe again. "But you lose two and you are in the battle for relegation. "I would say there are 10-12 teams in the same position as we are. "There has been a change in the culture of what we have been doing here but we won't go back and we've got to stick together. "We've also been affected by a few results that didn't go our way when we deserved for them to go our way. "We also were hit quite badly by some injuries but we will battle through this." Houllier has received a double fitness boost with striker Emile Heskey and winger Ashley Young available to face the Blues after ankle and knee injuries respectively but right-back Luke Young is still sidelined with his groin problem. Houllier confirmed central defender Richard Dunne is likely to be recalled to the squad after not making the final 18 for Tuesday's 4-0 mauling at Manchester City.
