The Red and Blue Soccer Chat – 4/5/23

Welcome back, Red and Blue fans! It’s been nearly a month since we last chatted, but the international break always makes it seem even longer. Quite a bit has transpired for both clubs, and most of it has not been great. Let’s dig in! Chelsea had appeared to at least stabilize things as the international break approached. After securing passage to the next round of the Champions League (where an always dangerous Real Madrid are lurking), victory over Leicester and a draw with Everton seemed to be enough. But 2 weeks and an ugly home loss to Villa later spelled the end for Graham Potter. Whether he was THE problem or just A problem is the crux of the matter. But a limp, goalless draw with fellow strugglers Liverpool gave us a glimpse into what awaits the next man up. The long run of good form has hit a brick wall for Manchester United. Despite some decent intervening results, the 7-0 humiliation at the hands of a very poor Liverpool side appears to have exposed a weakness in the minds of many United players. A 4-1 dismantling of Betis was followed by a draw that now feels more like a loss at home to bottom-dwellers Southampton. A businesslike win away to Betis in the 2nd leg was then followed by what was headed for a knockout loss in the FA Cup until Fulham collectively lost the plot in a space of a few minutes. It spared United’s blushes, but only just. 2 weeks of rest should have brought a rejuvenated and hungry squad to St. James’s. Instead, it was truly the first time that EtH appeared to get it all wrong, in selection and substitutions. Yes, absences in key positions forced some changes, but the performance as a whole – from manager to players – is cause for worry as the team now shows signs of cracking. Home clashes with Brentford and Everton may be very telling. The USMNT called in a strong squad of mostly European-based players (yes, Aaron got that wrong) for the CONCACAF Nations League encounters. A trip to Grenada saw them romp to 7 goals, though the 1 they conceded (and the manner) may be more instructional. They followed that with a 1-0 over El Salvador. With Mexico up next in the semifinals, it’s hard to know which result will be built upon. With Tyler Adams ruled out for the remainder of this club campaign (and who knows how much longer), others will need to step up against our oldest rivals. We’ll be discussing all that, and maybe even throwing back to some Evan and Aaron Show topics. Who knows?! So, join us at 7:00 p.m. at Chatham Tap Fishers, on Facebook Live and YouTube Live, or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below to find out. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS! ⚽🍺⚽🍺⚽🍺⚽🍺 #TheRedandBlueSoccerChat #ChelseaFC #manchesterunited #USMNT #theevanandaaronshow https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIH_XXtwLOX74un6Jr367HA https://www.facebook.com/TheEvanAndAaronShow https://open.spotify.com/show/7gC93OQZpUrk1ZKkHG7bya instagram.com/theredandbluesoccerchat https://anchor.fm/redbluesoccerchat --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/redbluesoccerchat/support