Chelsea’s manager, Graham Potter has said that he’s taking the blame for his side’s 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, April 1.
Ollie Watkins gave Villa the lead in the first half before captain John McGinn’s long-range effort in the second period doubled the advantage for the away side. The result has piled pressure on Potter, with Chelsea now 11th in the table. Speaking after the match, Potter told BBC Sport: “In both boxes we were second best. The first goal for them is disappointing from our perspective. “There were a lot of good things in the game, a lot of attacking entries and shots. If you look at the stats of the game it was a positive performance, but in terms of the scoreline it’s not. We’re all really disappointed. “The most important number is the one that goes against us. We have to do better. In terms of the game, you can see the players gave everything, they took on the responsibility, they tried, they had lots of entries into the box and shots and attacks. 
“Ultimately we conceded a poor first goal which makes everything very emotional and rightly so. We’re disappointed because we’re 1-0 down but the players responded well they kept on responding throughout. The second goal is disappointing because we started the second half well. “But if you look at the stats apart from the main one there is a lot of positives there. But at the moment into doesn’t feel too positive. “Defensively we’ve left ourselves too open but again if you look at the stats of the game we had chances ourselves, we had one-v-ones, but the most important thing, putting the ball into the net, we were second-best. “I don’t like to blame anybody, I have to take responsibility. We are a team, we have to stay together, we are together. We win or lose together.” Chelsea will be facing a crucial home game against Liverpool on Tuesday, April 4, with the Champions League quarter-final later this month potentially a make-or-break tie for Potter.
Arsenal, who were kicked off the top of the Premier League table following a 3-1 defeat to Manchester City on Wednesday, February 15, will be facing Aston Villa at lunchtime today. Speaking up against the “difficult” schedule he claimed Arsenal has been subjected to, Arteta that rules for Champions League teams should be instituted. 
He said; “There are certain rules with the Champions League. When you are playing on Wednesday night and then you cannot play [on Saturday lunchtime]. So I think that should apply to any competition. But I think following the same principle, physiologically, that is very difficult to turn around on that period to get the best outcome and reduce the injury risk for players, but that’s it.” 
19-year-old Colombian striker Jhon Duran has been signed by Aston Villa following a £15 million ($18m) deal with MLS outfit the Chicago Fire. 
Duran who is already the second-youngest player to score in the Colombian top flight at the age of 15, became the most expensive foreign signing in MLS history after moving to Chicago from Envigado in January 2021. The Colombia international contributed eight goals and five assists during the 2022 campaign for MLS, getting attention from Manchester United and Liverpool’s scouts. Villa has however announced that they have successfully negotiated a transfer fee with their Chicago Fire counterparts. 
The club said in a statement; “Aston Villa can confirm that an agreement has been reached with Chicago Fire for the permanent transfer of 19-year-old striker, Jhon Duran. “The deal is subject to the player passing a medical, agreeing personal terms and obtaining the necessary work visa.” Should a transfer be completed in due course, Duran will depart Chicago Fire after just one season, his development having previously begun at Engivado FC. 
Villa has moved away from the Premier League relegation zone since Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard in October, collecting 13 points from six matches under the Spaniard. They now sit in 11th position in the table, 10 points above the bottom three and just six adrift of sixth-placed Fulham ahead of a trip to Southampton on January 21. 