Aston Villa are lucky that other teams have fallen faster and longer this season – ensuring they have remained firmly in third place so far.
Chelsea have dropped 17 points from winning positions at Stamford Bridge this season and 19 points in total in the Premier League.
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They travel to Arsenal on Sunday hoping to capitalize on Villa’s latest defeat, before traveling to Villa Park on Wednesday for a game that could decide both teams’ seasons.
Lille’s Europa League tie on March 12 and their trip to Old Trafford on March 15 are huge for Villa.
Individual form has also plummeted, with Ollie Watkins scoring just once in 11 games – reminiscent of a period when he scored just once in 19 games – while Morgan Rodgers has performed similarly.
Villa’s lack of depth was exposed last month when injuries to Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans sparked a slump.
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Ezri Konsa also clashed with fans in the final moments, an argument broke out among the players, while Amadou Onana urged Emi Buendia to leave the pitch as soon as he was substituted.
Cracks are showing, and even players admit to feeling the pressure.
“It does put pressure on us, but it shouldn’t,” Rogers said. “We should be here and we should not forget this.
“We haven’t been performing as well as usual recently but this is a Premier League battle. We will get back on a good winning streak.
“We set the bar very high and we have the ability to win every game. Obviously that’s not realistic but we played well overall and there’s nothing to worry about.”
“[The next fixtures] It’s the game you want to play, with so much on the line and we need to prove why we deserve to be where we are. “
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