The Red and Blue Soccer Chat - 10/25/23

The Red and Blue Soccer Chat

Greetings, Reds and Blues! Our clubs returned from international duty and were immediately thrown into the gauntlet that is the Premier League. And Americans headlined the weekend clash between AC Milan and Juventus. Let’s see how they fared.

Chelsea’s first clash on their return from the international break was to host early title challengers Arsenal. While many Chelsea fans would have gladly taken a draw before kickoff, it was the visitors who looked the worse for wear. Poch got his setup just right, and perhaps Arteta was a bit naïve with his own. While Arsenal had the majority of possession, it was largely along their own back line and out wide. But this movement was too slow to drag Chelsea players out of position, and it was Chelsea who struck first through the penalty spot. VAR has intervened far too often and produced inconsistent results, and this incident will surely be a continued talking point. But Cole Palmer yet again coolly slotted the pk home. He is quickly becoming a fan favorite with his effort and goals. Starting the 2nd half with the lead, it was Chelsea who again did the pressing. Mudryk was almost certainly looking to pick out Sterling at the back post, but Raya’s aggressiveness on crosses proved his undoing as the ball sailed high and into the corner of the net. Now up 2-0, Chelsea began to show some of their weaknesses, and Arsenal pounced. A wayward pass from Sanchez allowed Rice to score a long-ranger into an empty net, and then Gusto was caught napping at the back post to give Trossard just enough space to volley home from close range. Chelsea will be disappointed to drop points, but for 75 minutes they had a top team on the ropes. Seeing things out will be the next step in their progression. A visit from bottom-half Brentford may just help that along.

Meanwhile, Manchester United continues to confound. Traveling to Sheffield should never be taken lightly, but they do sit bottom. And with McSauce scoring his third goal in 2 games, things looked to be going as well as possible on the day of Sir Bobby Charlton’s passing. But it’s never quite that easy right now, and Scott handled shortly after to allow Sheffield an equalizer from the spot. Things looked to be heading toward a draw as United struggled to break down a rigid defense. But Diogo Dalot popped up late to hit a beautiful curler to take all the points. That should have been a momentum builder, but Copenhagen showed up to Old Trafford to make life difficult. And for 70 minutes it appeared they would succeed. But then 2 players who have struggled for form and support of late came to the rescue. Firstly, Harry Maguire turned home Eriksen’s cross from the wing to take the lead, and then Onana came up huge with an injury-time penalty save that may be the spark for both players and club to push on. The upcoming Manchester Derby will be a gut check.

The USMNT showed their good and bad traits in both games during the break. At times looking very attacking and composed, they took a deserved lead against Germany before quickly showing their defensive frailties and inability to convert more chances. But that loss inspired a quick-fire performance against Ghana to take an insurmountable lead into the halftime break. Little else transpired, but perhaps this team is showing signs of being a true contender on home turf at the next Cup. In addition, the Serie A chose to feature 4 Americans in their weekend promo, and all 4 started as Juve narrowly defeated Milan. It is definitely good to see so many of our boys playing on such a big stage.

We’ll be holding our arms in unnaturally natural positions to avoid random handballs. So, join us live from Chatham Tap Fishers at 7pm, 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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