The Red and Blue Soccer Chat - 12/13/23

The Red and Blue Soccer Chat

Happy Holidays, Reds and Blues! So far this holiday period has been anything but joyful for both Chelsea and United. And as we approach the truly Festive Fixtures at the end of the season, what can each set of fans expect and hope for? Let’s see what Evan and Aaron have to say!

Chelsea kicked off December with a deserved win over Brighton & Hove, but their ongoing issues were still on display. Up 2-1 just minutes before halftime, Conor Gallagher picked up a 2nd yellow card to force Chelsea to play the entire 2nd half with 10 men for the 3rd time in their last few games. Another goal from B&H made things nervy, which may have carried over to their next match against United. ManU started on the front foot and took advantage of Poch’s decision to bring a defiantly attacking mentality to Old Trafford. United dominated from the outset and could have been home and dry well before halftime if they were more clinical (more on that below). 2-1 said a lot about both sides, and a repeat viewing of the match illustrates just what is going wrong for both clubs at the moment. Chelsea followed that up with a poor performance against an aggrieved and rejuvenated Everton side. Chelsea will play 5 matches before the end of the year, and despite Newcastle being the only one in the top half of the table, Chelsea’s 12th-place standing means it’s probably more important to win the other 4 games and hope for a good result against an injured but still dangerous Toon.

Manchester United yet again held a 2-goal lead (away at that!) in the Champions League and still managed to slip to a 3-3 draw in Turkey that left it all to play for on the final matchday. Yesterday, Bayern Munich put the final nail in the CL coffin with, for them, a relatively easy away day at Old Trafford. United worked hard, but the gulf in form and class were on full display. In between, United limped to an away defeat at Newcastle, were either unlucky or flattered with their victory over Chelsea, and thoroughly embarrassed at home by a rampant Bournemouth. To make matters worse, United will travel next to Liverpool (site of last season’s horrible 7-0) and West Ham before a Boxing Day fixture at home to Villa and an away trip to Forest. Some fortitude and resilience will be needed to avoid further embarrassment at Anfield. Any further mental damage could see a debilitating slide to end the year.

Two Indiana teams made the Great Eight of the College Cup and faced off against one another in the quarters. A hard-fought 1-1 draw was decided on penalties, with Notre Dame’s GK making some big saves to send IU to a second consecutive exit on PKs. Notre Dame would go on to beat Oregon State before succumbing to Clemson in the final. Congrats to both teams for their deep runs in the tournament.

We’ll be decking the halls and hoping Santa brings us some goal-scorers and better leadership for both our clubs. 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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