Enzo Maresca future: Reece James addresses "blame" for Chelsea's Premier League title race collapse as sack questions linger

Chelsea captain Reece James has insisted that the players themselves are to blame for the club's defeat against Aston Villa on Saturday.

The Londoners suffered a 2-1 loss against Unai Emery's Villa at Stamford Bridge despite dominating much of the opening hour.

Two Ollie Watkins goals in the second half left Enzo Maresca's side in fifth place with 29 points, with the club now trailing first-placed Arsenal by 13 points.

Speaking to reporters after the match, James was keen for blame to be applied to the players themselves for errors on the pitch, saying: "We dominated 60, 65 minutes of the game. We came out sharp with the way we set up, we got off on the front foot and in the right way.

"In the first 60 minutes they didn’t create any chances, and then they get one and the dynamic changes. We knew they’d make substitutions and the shape changed slightly but it was nothing we shouldn’t have been able to deal with.

"We understand the style and the way they want to play. We have ourselves to blame. Second half one or two moments changed the game. They picked up momentum. It was two slight errors from us and we got punished."

Maresca has faced growing criticism considering his side were only six points from the top of the table at the start of December.

Is Enzo Maresca to blame for Chelsea's form?

Maresca has shown that he is tactically astute, getting the better of coaches like Arne Slot and Luis Enrique during his time at Stamford Bridge, and his team's performance against Arsenal on November 30 with 10 men was exceptional.

However, the Blues have drawn three, lost two and won just one of their past six league games, and they have only won two of their past eight in all competitions.

While some blame for Chelsea's form must ultimately fall on the coach, it is hard to say that Maresca should be faulted for the poor individual mistakes of his defence, with his backline failing to deal with the pace and physicality of Watkins on Saturday.

Though the title is almost certainly beyond Chelsea, the return of Levi Colwill to the defence next season will no doubt be a significant boost, and signing a suitable partner for the Englishman could push them towards the title in 2026-27.

Champions League race: Will Chelsea finish in the top four?

The Londoners' defeat against Villa also meant they ended the weekend outside of the top four, three points behind fourth-placed Liverpool.

Chelsea are level on points with sixth-placed Manchester United, and it would not be surprising if they slipped further down the table in the coming weeks considering they face a difficult next period.

Maresca's side will face Bournemouth, Manchester City, Fulham, Brentford and Crystal Palace in their next five league fixtures, with three clashes in cup competitions to come in that time as well.

Chelsea could take confidence from the fact that United and Liverpool have also been plagued by inconsistencies, though it is important that the gap to fourth remains small if they are to secure a place in the Champions League next season.