Straight Outta Cobham: The Athletic FC's Chelsea show

We've really, really, REALLY won it all now...Matt Davies-Adams has got a bumper crew of Simon Johnson, Liam Twomey and Sam Parkin alongside him to look back on the sensational Club World Cup final victory over Paris Saint Germain in New Jersey on Sunday.We bask in the gloriousness of Cole Jermaine Palmer, laud Enzo Maresca for the tactical masterclass he put on - and issue a full apology to Malo Gusto who was just one of the players who shone all over the park in the 3-0 win over their formidable French opponents. So, what does the victory mean for the club? And have expectations just been raised ahead of the fast-approaching 2025-26 campaign?Just like the players we’re going to have a very truncated post-season and take a couple of weeks off - BUT we’ll be back with all the build up to the new Premier League season, transfer ins and outs and much more. Follow Liam and Simon’s work on The Athletic in the meantime and stay across our socials for all the latest Blues news.HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Simon Johnson, Sam Parkin and Liam Twomey PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So... this PSG lot are quite good, ey?Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Simon Johnson and Luke Bosher with him to run the rule over the 2-0 win over Fluminense in the CWC SF's which has seen Chelsea set up a mouthwatering encounter with Champions League holders & French juggernauts PSG. Oli Kay reports from MetLife Stadium after João Pedro announced himself in emphatic style with two sensational goals in his first start for the Blues. We talk Caicedo's fitness concerns, Trev being great - and the tactical flexibility which has seen Chelsea book their place in the final. Then, French football expert Tom Williams stops by to give us an insight into what Enzo Maresca's side can expect from the Ligue 1 giants - and how they might go about hoping to beat Luis Enrique's team. We've got love for the CFCW Lionesses who put on a show, a look at the out of favour players back in training back at Cobham - and a quiz! We'll be back on Monday to look back on Sunday's Club World Cup final and the culmination of a long but potentially hugely rewarding month of action over in the United States for CFC. HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Luke Bosher, Simon Johnson, Oli Kay & Tom Williams PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

28 games later...Matt Davies-Adams has got Simon Johnson and Liam Twomey with him to look back on Friday night's 2-1 victory over Palmeiras. The Athletic's Senior Data Analyst Mark Carey was in Philadelphia for the game and sends us his thoughts - before we take a closer look at Cole Palmer's return to the scoresheet, the hugely impressive debut of João Pedro who was literally just on the beach a few days earlier - and a look at how Andrey Santos faired after his late call up to the starting XI.So, next up it's the Blues' third meeting with a Brazilian side in the tournament as they take on Thiago Silva's Fluminense at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. We look ahead to the game and ponder whether Nicolas Jackson will be left out in the cold again?Finally, we've got the latest transfer news with Jamie Gittens officially announced as a Chelsea player - plus the latest on Noni Madueke's potential departure to Arsenal... We'll be back on Thursday to look back at the semi-final showdown with Fluminense... and look ahead to Sunday's final?! HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Liam Twomey, Simon Johnson and Mark Carey PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Estêvão Derby is upon us... Matt Davies-Adams has got Liam Twomey and Sam Parkin back with him to look ahead to Friday night's Club World Cup quarter-final against Palmeiras in Philadelphia. Brazilian football aficionado Jack Lang pops by for a closer look at the Blues' opponents - and what we should expect from Estêvão going forward...We've got reflections on Kepa's departure (we'll always have the 2019 Carabao Cup Final, ey?!) - excitement around what João Pedro could bring to the squad, and a quiz!We'll be back on Monday to review the Palmeiras clash and with any luck be looking ahead to a semi-final tie as the CWC enters the final stages... HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Liam Twomey, Sam Parkin & Jack LangPRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We hope no one had any plans on Sunday morning...Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson alongside him to look back on the bonkers 4-1 (AET) victory over Benfica in a crazy match that lasted more than four hours and included a near two-hour delay due to extreme weather.We discuss the pretty farcical scenes in Charlotte which the Blues boss labelled a 'joke', the wonderful resurgence of Reece James who looks well and truly back to his best - and we salute Christopher Nkunku's contribution - even if he still looks set to leave the club after the tournament! Elsewhere, there have been some eye-catching transfer developments with the news that João Pedro and Jamie Gittens look to officially be on their way to Stamford Bridge. What do those signings mean for the current crop of attacking talent and what will they bring to Enzo Maresca's side?We'll be back on Thursday to look ahead to the last eight showdown with Palmeiras in the early hours of Saturday morning in the UK!HOST: Matt Davies-AdamsWITH: Luke Bosher and Simon JohnsonPRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Bank of America Stadium awaits...Matt Davies-Adams has got Liam Twomey and Sam Parkin in tow for your latest dose of Club World Cup chatter!We start with the MD3 3-0 victory over ES Tunis on Tuesday night in a balmy Philadelphia which saw the much-changed Blues comfortably wrap up 2nd place in the group - and arguably a much more favourable route to the final... Then, attention turns to Charlotte and Saturday's last 16 meeting with Portuguese powerhouse Benfica. With so much history between the two clubs - it would be remise of Matt not to conduct a quiz...We'll be back on Monday to review Saturday's Benfica showdown and hopefully have a quarterfinal to look forward to!HOST: Matt Davies-AdamsWITH: Liam Twomey and Sam ParkinPRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We didn't want to go to Miami anyway...Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Chelsea experts Liam Twomey and Simon Johnson alongside him to look back on the 3-1 defeat by Flamengo in Philadelphia which means there's work to do if they want to progress to the knockout stages of the Club World Cup.We talk Nicolas Jackson's red, more confusing selection and tactical decisions, Cole Palmer's struggles and whether we should be cutting this group more slack given the circumstances...So it's a shootout for second place in the group on Tuesday night in Philly as Enzo Maresca's side take on Es Tunis. What can we expect from them - and what do we want to see from Chelsea as they look to bounce back from Friday's disappointment? Elsewhere, we react to the news that Mykhailo Mudryk has been charged by the FA with violating its anti-doping rules - and could now face up to a four-year ban.We'll be back on Thursday to discuss all the fallout from the ES Tunis game - and hope that the Blues have set up a round of 16 tie to look forward to on Saturday night!HOST: Matt Davies-AdamsWITH: Simon Johnson and Liam TwomeyPRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

22,137...Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Liam Twomey and Luke Bosher alongside him to look back on Chelsea's opening Club World Cup victory, beating LAFC 2-0 in a much less than half empty Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.We discuss the bizarre atmosphere inside an arena that's intended to house 71,000 raucous spectators - analyse the contributions of Nicolas Jackson and Liam Delap who'll be vying for that starting No. 9 position - and the balance of the team with Enzo Fernandez having to be satisfied with a goal off the bench. Plus - a bonus bit of Olivier Giroud who has rather fond memories of his time at Stamford Bridge!Next up in the competition the Blues are off to Philadelphia to take on a Flamengo side who sit top of the table in the ongoing Brazilian Serie A - and are managed by Filipe Luís and have Jorginho amongst their ranks! Will it prove a step up in quality?And finally - get yourselves ready for the VisitMalta Weekender (!) at Stamford Bridge... we discuss the bizarre truncated pre-season that Enzo Maresca and the players are having to contend with with Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan lined up as opponents in the week before the start of the new Premier League season.We'll be back next week to look back on Chelsea's remaining CWC group games against Flamengo and ES Tunis as they look to secure safe passage to the next round of the competition and book a trip to Miami... HOST: Matt Davies-AdamsWITH: Liam Twomey and Luke BosherPRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liam Twomey and Sam Parkin, Chelsea experts from The Athletic, dissect Chelsea's recent Conference League victory and the upcoming Club World Cup. They question player motivation for the tournament while discussing the potential impact of new signings like Liam De Lapp. The duo also addresses Jadon Sancho's no-go return to Stamford Bridge and the swirling transfer news. Plus, expect some light-hearted trivia amidst the insights!

We've won it all...Matt Davies-Adams, Simon Johnson and Luke Bosher assemble to celebrate Chelsea's Europa Conference League triumph as they came from a goal down to beat Real Betis 4-1 in Wrocław!We talk through the dramatic evening in Poland including eyebrow-raising team news, a tumultuous first 45 minutes, a sprinkling of Palmer magic and an emphatic comeback.What will this trophy mean for the club going forward? How big a show of character was the second half performance? And how much of a success has Enzo Maresca's first season in charge been?We also react to the breaking news that it looks like Liam Delap could be on his way to Stamford Bridge...We'll be back next week for a more considered look at the 2024-25 campaign as a whole - and look ahead to the impending Club World Cup!HOST: Matt Davies-AdamsWITH: Luke Bosher and Simon JohnsonPRODUCER: Lucy Oliva----------------*Have your say and let us know what you think of the pod!* https://forms.gle/JpkvkcBtSAin92KL8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.