Chelsea have dropped 17 points from winning positions at Stamford Bridge and 19 points in total in the Premier League this season.
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They travel to Arsenal on Sunday hoping to take advantage of Villa’s latest slip, before traveling to Villa Park on Wednesday for a match that could define both teams’ seasons.
Lille, in the Europa League on March 12, and then a trip to Old Trafford on March 15, will be big for Villa.
Individual form has also slumped, with Ollie Watkins scoring just once in 11 games, reminiscent of the period when he scored just one goal in the first 19 games, while Morgan Rogers is on a similar run.
The poor run was sparked by injuries to Boubacar Kamara, John McGinn and Youri Tielemans last month, when Villa’s lack of depth was exposed.
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The players argued among themselves while Ezri Konsa, who also had a sticking point with the fans at the end, and Amadou Onana urged Emi Buendia to leave the field faster when he was substituted.
The cracks are showing and even the players admit to feeling the pressure.
“It weighs on us, but it shouldn’t,” Rogers said. “We deserve to be here and we must not forget it.
“Our run of late hasn’t been as good as usual, but that’s the battle of the Premier League. We’re going to get back to our good winning streak.
“We set our standards high and we have the ability to win every game. Obviously that’s not realistic, but we’re playing good football overall and there’s nothing to worry about.
“(The next games) are the games you want to play and, with so much at stake, we have to show why we deserve to be where we are.”
Read the rest of the analysis here