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Español'Evolution, not revolution' required before 'season-defining' Chelsea game
Aston Villa have only won two of their past seven games. This is not the form of a team looking to secure Champions League football, nor one sitting third in the league for several months.
The team are looking sluggish, lacking in creativity and struggling to keep a clean sheet. Performances have been underwhelming, which has perhaps been more of a concern than the dwindling points tally.
The fixture against Chelsea at Villa Park on Wednesday is season-defining. A Champions League 'six-pointer' in which Villa could build a nine-point gap on the visitors, or the deficit between fourth and sixth could shrink to three points.
How can Unai Emery turn things around in a period of decline? It's time for something different - a fresh approach that will inject energy into a weary side creaking under the pressure.
The boss will never rip up his tactics sheet and start afresh, particularly in the final run-in of the season. But his team needs an evolution, not a revolution.
The easiest way for Villa to evolve is a change in starting personnel. Tammy Abraham has looked lively since his arrival, but has struggled to seize the shirt from Ollie Watkins. As Villa's record Premier League goalscorer struggles to net, the ex-Chelsea forward should be eyeing a start against his former club as an opportunity to stake his claim.
Meanwhile, youngster Alysson, who has had a stop-start beginning to his journey in claret and blue, has shown promise in his brief cameos so far. An energetic and physical attacker looking to impose himself on the Premier League feels exactly the type of player to fire Villa's frontline.
As the team look to spark the atmosphere at Villa Park, a refreshed performance will be the thing that really reignites belief and excitement among fans, who are longing to see the tide turn in a lengthy history of Villa falling at the final hurdle.
Find more from Hannah Gowen at UTV
Premier League Team of the Week: Brentford duo among standouts as February ends - DAZN
Patriots Called To Sign 'High Upside' Seahawks Pass Rusher
Patriots Called To Sign 'High Upside' Seahawks Pass Rusher originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New England Patriots' pass rush could use some upgrades after they recorded just 35 sacks last season.
With K'Lavon Chaisson also hitting free agency, finding pass rushers in free agency and the draft could become a priority quickly. Even if the Patriots re-sign Chaisson, the pass rush still needs help. MassLive's Mark Daniels suggested Seattle Seahawks free agent Boye Mafe was a potential target.
"If the Patriots are looking for a high upside edge rusher, they could turn to Mafe," wrote Daniels on Monday. "The 27-year-old is athletic with great size. He had two sacks last season as a situational pass rusher for the Seattle Seahawks. Mafe had a career-high nine sacks in 2023 and six sacks in 2024. The Patriots saw him up close in Super Bowl 60. Mafe finished that game with a quarterback hit on Drake Maye."
Mafe had just two sacks in the regular season, but part of that was because of the Seahawks deep pass rush group. No Seahawks player had double-digit sacks last season, and they had one of the best defenses in football. On the Patriots, Mafe could see more opportunities.
In 2023, before Mike Macdonald took over as the head coach and implemented his own defensive philosophy, Mafe had a nine sack seaosn. The Patriots could allow him to be a full-time starter once again and help fix their pass rush. He is still young and may be cheap, given that he did not have his best season.
Mike Vrabel has shown he can get the most out of players who may be getting overlooked in free agency. Mafe could be the next success story for Vrabel on the Patriots.
Hickey adds to Scotland injury woes for March friendlies
Brentford right-back Aaron Hickey will miss Scotland's World Cup warm-up friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast as injuries continue to plague several key players in Steve Clarke's squad.
The Premier League club have revealed they hope the 23-year-old, who was withdrawn at half-time against Brighton and Hove Albion on 21 February with a hamstring problem, "will return after the March international break".
Bournemouth, meanwhile, have yet to reveal a return date for winger Ben Gannon-Doak, who has missed the majority of the league season with a hamstring injury the 20-year-old picked up in the 4-2 win over Denmark in November.
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Having already lost Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland until April with a hamstring injury, Heart of Midlothian head coach Derek McInnes has also all-but ruled Craig Gordon out of Japan's visit to Hampden on 28 March and the match against Ivory Coast at Everton's new Hill Dickinson Stadium three days later.
The 43-year-old goalkeeper has already missed the Scottish Premiership leaders' latest six matches with a shoulder injury.
John McGinn is also doubtful, although the Aston Villa midfielder said last week that he is two or three weeks away from a return from a knee injury picked up on 18 January that required surgery and had the 31-year-old initially fearing for his place at this summer's World Cup finals.
Fellow midfielder Scott McTominay picked up an injury in Napoli's win over Genoa on 7 February and, although he said last week he had an outside chance of playing against Hellas Verona, was absent for a fourth consecutive match.
However, Billy Gilmour made his second substitute appearance since picking up a groin injury in November as the midfielder helped Napoli win 2-1.
Romelu Lukaku held off the attentions of Scotland striker Kieron Bowie, making his fourth start for the hosts, to score the late winner - the first time they have won this season with McTominay absent.
McTominay could make his club squad on Friday at home to Torino, for whom fellow 29-year-old Che Adams might also return after a two-game absence with a calf strain.
The striker had been passed fit for Sunday's 2-0 win over Lazio but did not make the match-day squad.
Meanwhile, Derby County right-back Max Johnston is expected to return in mid-March after four months out with a hamstring injury but might not be match fit in time for the Scotland friendlies.
However, defender Ross McCrorie returned to the Bristol City side that lost to Watford at the weekend after three games out with concussion.
Centre-half Grant Hanley is expected to return to action this week after missing five games for Hibernian.
Rangers midfielder Connor Barron, who has been out with a knee injury since early January, is expected back this month.
Goalkeeper Angus Gunn has at least made the Nottingham Forest bench since recovering from November's knee ligament injury, but his lack of game time is another worry for Clarke.
2026 Fantasy Baseball Breakouts: Who's ready to make a splash at C, 1B, 2B, SS and 3B?
Drafting a team of safe, boring players is a great way to finish in third place. While those with a high floor have their place in a fantasy baseball draft, managers need to chase high ceilings at some point in the selection process if they want to build a truly special roster. The infielders listed below have a good chance to take a major step forward this year and are excellent targets in any draft.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]
Please note that I omitted rookies, as any production from first-year players would constitute some degree of a breakout season.
Shea Langeliers, C, Athletics
Coming off a pair of productive seasons, Langeliers is a step away from a Cal Raleigh-esque campaign. The slugger was dominant in the second half of 2025, when he used improvements in fly ball rate and pull rate to hit .328 with 19 homers and 45 RBI in 57 games. He boosted his year-over-year batting average by more than 50 points, thanks to a vastly improved 19.7% strikeout rate. Langeliers barrels up the ball often, is part of a rapidly improving lineup and calls home to a hitter-friendly venue. He could produce 35-40 homers and 100 RBI.
Luke Keaschall, 2B, Minnesota Twins
Managers in categories leagues should be excited to draft Keaschall at his ADP (123.6), as he will be among the steals leaders this year. The 23-year-old has an exceptional ability to get his bat on the ball and maintains a strong line drive rate, which will ensure a high batting average. He also knows how to use his plate patience to reach base, as he posted elite walk rates in the minors and logged an impressive 9.2% mark as a rookie. Keaschall doesn’t hit the ball hard, but that is the case with several speedsters, and his 86.2 mph average exit velocity is similar to the mark Brice Turang posted when he stole 50 bases in 2024. The rebuilding Twins will let Keaschall run aggressively from a premium lineup spot, which will result in 40 steals and 85 runs.
Colson Montgomery, 3B/SS, Chicago White Sox
In some cases, breakout seasons are merely a repeat of skills shown in smaller sample sizes, but this time stretched over a full campaign. That will be the case with Montgomery this season, after he homered 21 times in 71 games as a rookie. Although he won’t stay on that 45-homer pace, the 24-year-old will use his penchant for pulled fly balls to go deep 35 times, and even in a weak White Sox lineup, he can drive in 85 runs. It’s also worth noting that although Montgomery could stand to lower his strikeout rate, he achieved his .239 average with a .263 BABIP, which means that his batted-ball luck could improve in Year 2.
Ezequiel Tovar, SS, Colorado Rockies
Several small changes could lead to a breakout season for Tovar, who has already had some solid campaigns and is still just 24 years old. The youngster will never be confused with Juan Soto or Bryce Harper when it comes to plate discipline, but he made minor improvements to his strikeout and walk rates last year. He also posted a career-best 89.4 mph average exit velocity, and his xBA, xSLG and xwOBA were career-high marks. Finally, his line drive improved to a lofty 27.8% last year, and he dealt with an unfortunate 9.0% HR/FB rate that held his home run total down.
Beyond his skill gains, Tovar should be helped by the fact that the Rockies offense is bound to improve. The team scored just 587 runs, which was the lowest total in a 162-game season in franchise history. Even in a down year, Colorado’s lineup uses the benefits of Coors Field to score roughly 700 runs. I’m not predicting the Rockies to make major strides as a team, but their offense should be significantly more productive this year.
Otto Lopez, 2B/SS, Miami Marlins
Think that we saw the Lopez breakout season last year? Think again. Through a consolidation of skills he has already shown, Lopez could take another step forward this year. Thanks to more playing time and an improved fly-ball rate, the infielder produced a career-high 15 homers, which is a repeatable total. This year’s improvements will come in the batting average category, as last year he was hampered by a .264 BABIP, which negated an improved 13.8% strikeout rate.
With better batted-ball luck, Lopez could hit .280 while using the increase in base knocks and his 81st percentile sprint speed to post career-high marks in steals and runs scored.
Miguel Vargas, 1B/3B, Chicago White Sox
For the deep-league crowd, I offer Vargas as a late-round breakout candidate. The 26-year-old who debuted way back in 2022 finally played a full season in 2025. The results were respectable but not impressive. Still, we saw some improvements, most notably major strides with a strikeout rate that was cut to 17.6%. Vargas has always produced many fly balls (career 50.3% rate) and respectable exit velocities but has been saddled by a lowly lifetime 7.3% HR/FB rate. That mark will finally push past 10% this year, which will give Vargas 25-homer potential.