The Red and Blue Soccer Chat - 09/26/23

The Red and Blue Soccer Chat

Greetings, Reds and Blues! It’s been 3 weeks since we last chatted with you, with an international break squeezed in for good measure. Some things have changed, but much has largely stayed the same. But there is a need for some change at both clubs. How have they fared since their return to action?

Chelsea seems to be growing more “Chelsea” by the day. A goalless draw with a struggling Bournemouth side was then followed by an even drearier performance against Villa; losing 1-0 at Stamford Bridge. Poch’s woes seem to be the same that several previous managers have had to endure, and now the owner seems hell bent on getting involved in day-to-day affairs. But until he addresses the fact that his transfer policy is to simply load up on young players that aren’t ready for the Premier League, as well as having little cohesion with one another, Boehly’s dressing room visits will probably not have the impact he’s hoping for. Poch has a tough mandate: win enough games in the present to remain within touching distance (and relevancy) while also building a championship side out of young players who don’t seem to grasp the overall plan. Unenviable, and likely to end exactly as recent history suggests. Chelsea face Brighton (Carabao) at home today, then play Fulham and Burnley away, before home tests against Arsenal and Brentford are followed by a trip to Spurs. The next 6 weeks may be Poch’s most crucial of his career.

United, meanwhile, returned to action with a truly poor performance. And it followed much the same script: dominate early possession and come close to scoring, then concede with nearly the first attack from the opposition. United sunk to a 3-1 defeat, with the only bright spot being a cracker of a goal from young Hannibal. That was followed by a return to the reality of the Champions League, where Bayern Munich was waiting. Again, United looked bright early, only to be undone by 2 goals in quick succession. The goalkeeping was especially poor for a few of the 4 goals they shipped, with positional and tactical awareness also alarming at times. Still, they managed to score 3 goals away in the CL. A far tougher win than it should have been over Burnley also saw the return of Johnny Evans, and his influence was key both in attack and defense. United finally got things going with a comfortable and dominant 3-0 over Palace in the Carabao Cup. A repeat of the fixture and venue awaits at the weekend. They have a favorable run of games leading up to the Manchester Derby at the end of October. Have they turned the corner or simply looked better against truly weaker sides?

The USMNT played 2 largely meaningless friendlies over the break against Uzbekistan (3-0) and Oman (4-0). Little new was learned, but hopefully it built more cohesion among these young players. With news that Berhalter and Gio have talked it out and are ready to move forward, perhaps a side that could potentially challenge for a World Cup on home soil in a few years is slowly coming together. An upcoming test against Germany – for which a health (fingers crossed) Reyna should be involved - in the next window may give us an early glimpse.

We’ll be observing VAR making decisions and then doing the exact opposite when the same situation arises. So, join us live from Chatham Tap Fishers, follow along on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

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