Chelsea is a painting. Just eleven days before the Champions League quarterfinals against Real Madrid, the team has just fallen at Stamford Bridge by 0-2 against Unai Emery's Aston Villa.
With this result the blues are eleventh, and finishing in the top four, which would allow him to retain many of his stars, including Joao Felix, is already more than a utopia.
Injuries no longer seem like enough excuse for a team that last week gave up a draw also in its stadium against Everton, which fights to avoid relegation. The team was booed by the stands and now nobody can assure that Graham Potter will be the one who sits on the bench of the Santiago Bernabéu.
Emery's side went ahead in the 18th minute after a poor clearance from Cucurella left Watkins alone before Kepa, who stung it over the Spanish goalkeeper. It is true that Chelsea tried but in the other goal the Dibu became great on all occasions of the team of his compatriot, Enzo Fernández, in his particular duel between world champions.
As soon as the second half started, Aston Villa soon nullified a possible reaction of the blues scoring the second in the 56th minute, when McGinn received away from the area and threw an impossible left-footed for Kepa.
N'Golo Kanté returned after seven months off, which meant that he missed the World Cup, and he only has one game left to get into the rhythm before playing against his compatriot Benzema's team the most important match of the season. Thiago Silva and Azpilicueta are still touched, as are Sterling and Fofana, who could get minutes on Tuesday against Liverpool.
Very different story is that of the Spanish coach, who took Aston Villa fifteenth, and is already ninth ahead of Chelsea. Emery's side have not lost for five days and, most strikingly, they have only conceded one goal.
The Spanish coach arrived at the end of October, following the dismissal of Steven Gerrard and after the Basque coach broke off his commitment to Villareal.
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