The Red and Blue Soccer Chat - 2/21/24

Greetings, Reds and Blues! February is 2/3 over, so we’ve got a lot to catch up on. What have Chelsea and United been up to this month?Chelsea saw in the month of February in thesame manner as they exited January: by shipping 4 goals to their opponents, Wolves and Liverpool, respectively. But they responded with 2 consecutive away wins. Their first trip was the return leg at Villa Park in the FA Cup. Chelsea scored early and never really looked back, giving up a very late consolation. Then they traveled across London to face Crystal Palace. That one wasn’t quite so straight-forward as they needed a strong second half to recover. And it was perhaps that level of teamwork and never-say-die mentality that they brought with them to the Etihad to take on holders City. City were on a 12-game winning streak across all competitions, and early on they appeared set to take that number to 13. But their sustained possession and pressure failed to create many clear-cut chances, and Chelsea took the lead against the run of play with a lightning quick counter culminating in a Sterling cutback and goal. And Chelsea players may rue the few additional opportunities they managed in the final minutes of the first and opening of the second. City finally settled down and ultimately gave the impression that one goal might open the floodgates. The goal did finally come through Rodrygo after some plinko-ing around in the box kindly fell to him at the edge of the 18. Both teams had half-chances to take all 3 points, but the Blues and their fans will certainly be happier with the result than Pep. Chelsea’s reward for a run of good performances is the opportunity to host the current league leaders Liverpool at the Bridge. They can atone for their not-quite-a-month-ago loss and deal a trophy blow in the process. See you at the Tap for Sunday Funday! United are now unbeaten in 7 straight across all competitions, and they are enjoying a 5-game win streak as well. But it all could have been so different had their new Starboy not popped up late to rescue all 3 points at Molineux after leading early and holding a 2-goal lead after 80 minutes. Kobbie Mainoo joins Garnacho and Hojlund as the new darlings of the Theater of Dreams. Hojlund is especially buzzing as he has now scored in 6 straight PL games to join Ruud, Cristiano, and Eric in such a feat. Rashford appears to have put his head down and got to work as well, and the front 3 are getting plenty of opportunities. Casemiro has also looked closer to last season’s level of influence, and Maguire is taking full advantage of Martinez’s unfortunate absence. Luke Shaw coming off early this weekend is pause for concern, with Malacia not featuring for months and Reguilon gone from his loan spell. Amrabat, fresh from the AFCON, came on late to help out in a deep defensive midfield role, and he could be called into emergency LB duty in the same manner he featured earlier in the season. United will host an inconsistent but capable Fulham on Saturday. Many United streaks will be on the line, but continuing to close the gap on Spurs and Villa is the only real goal to be achieved.Christian Pulisic scored another banger this weekend to help Milan recover (but ultimately lose). Long may this version of CP10 continue.Qatar kept hold of the Asian Cup with a win over Jordan, a shock finalist themselves. Early favorites Japan and South Korea continuously needed late comebacks to keep them alive, but that is not sustainable and proved to be with both failing to reach the semis. Qatar has pored resources into football in recent years, and thus far it has paid off. Japan and South Korea are no longer the standard to be imitated. With Saudi Arabia hosting the next edition as well as the 2034 World Cup, the next decade could see a huge shift in global soccer power. Home side Ivory Coast secured the AFCON after defeating Nigeria 2-1. Despite some great games and unexpected upsets, this edition was sadly marred by more poor officiating and several off-field incidents with media and fans acting out. The quality of play on the field continues to grow rapidly. It’s a shame the authorities cannot seem to get the rest under control. We’ll be making up for missing last week, 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!  ⚽🍺⚽🍺⚽🍺⚽🍺 #TheRedandBlueSoccerChat#ChathamTapFishers#ChelseaFC#manchesterunited#USMNT#USWNThttps://linktr.ee/theredandbluesoccerchat