Fran Kirby's Fight Club

We're back as a whole! A massive thank you to Maryam for holding down the pod alone while André was away! A LOT has happened and is upcoming so your reunited hosts do their best to keep you up to date. First we review Chelsea's 3-1 win over Brighton, including a review on how the 3-4-3 is shaping up, if there's a preferred XI now, and how the system is complementing Reiten and Harder. Then we prev...

A triple-header of analysis follows, including a review of the United game, and preview insight of both the FA Cup semi-final against Birmingham on Wednesday, and the WSL clash with Brighton on the weekend. SPOILER ALERT: you'll be one host short, Andre is getting his tan on in Peru. All yours Maryam :) 

Maryam & André return to your ears to talk about Chelsea FCW's 4-0 win over Everton! Naturally, we discuss Fran Kirby's absolute STUNNER of a goal and take a look at how the first choice front three got on in their first foray in the 3-4-3. Of course this also means that André once again won't shutup about Pernille Harder. We also talk about Erin Cuthbert's impact from right wingback, how Soph...

Maryam & André react to an intense match at The Emirates, and lament Arsenal's first competitive win over Chelsea since 2018. We review our predictions and, like Chelsea, both get 0 points for our performance. Then we take a look at Emma Hayes' new 343 formation! We break it down line by line and discuss what worked and what didn't, plus André won't shutup about Pernille Harder. Then we look a...

And we! Are! Back! It's been a while, too long in fact, but Maryam & André are back with a brand new episode! As Chelsea FCW heads into their season opener we had a LOT to talk about, so we broke this episode up into several parts to make sure we could fit it all in. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of new signings Aniek Nouwen and Lauren James, plus where they might fit into the squad...

Well, that stung a bit didn't it? Maryam & André discard the typical tactical breakdown and analysis in favor of allowing ourselves to feel and process the sadness of losing a UWCL Final in that way. So join us to commiserate and process a harsh lesson learned, but also to them find perspective, and look ahead for what still should be an even better Chelsea in the end. We love this club, and are s...

The Champions League Final is nearly here! Maryam and André break down this historic match in the only way they know how: tactics, analysis, player spotlights, and – much to André's chagrin – predictions! One of these teams is going to lift the UWCL trophy as the first new winner of the past five years, we tell you what Chelsea need to do, be wary of, and gameplan against if it's to be them! Subsc...

CHELSEA FCW ARE THE 2020/21 WSL CHAMPIONS!!! Maryam and André celebrate Chelsea's marvelously ruthless 2020/21 WSL season! We look back at some key moments and narratives about the team, how Chelsea and Emma Hayes overcame them, and how hindsight reveals just how dominant the team was. We also up the terror level for the rest of the league by discussing some ways in which Chelsea could get even be...

WE! ARE! IN! THE! CHAMPIONS! LEAGUE! FINAL! What an incredible, outstanding, resilient, brave, and immense performance in a rollercoaster of a match! Maryam & André react just moments after the final whistle to the biggest win in Chelsea FCW history! We try our best to plow through our emotions to analyze the match and give Emma Hayes' boldness, Niamh Charles' versatility, Fran Kirby's toughness,...

Maryam & André react to Chelsea's 2-1 loss in the first leg of their UWCL semifinal versus Bayern Munich. They discuss lineup choices (some forced, some hmm) and areas Bayern keyed on, plus dissect the performances of Hanna Glas, Pernille Harder, Jess Carter, Guro Reiten and Fran Kirby. Then they shift focus to the second leg at Kingsmeadow and discuss the changes Emma Hayes is likely to make, and...

Hellooooooo Blues! Maryam and André are back to review Chelsea versus Manchester City! It wasn't pretty, but the (correct shade of) Blues got the result and the point needed to remain two points ahead at the top of the table! We break down two contrasting halves that saw Chelsea go into half with the lead via some excellent work by Sam Kerr then hold on for dear life in the second! Emma Hayes call...

Maryam and André used the international break to study up on our next Champions League opponent: Bayern Munich! But first we recap Chelsea's 6-0 romping of Birmingham City, then discuss the players' letter to ownership, as well as the response. Then we dive deep into Bayern Munich by tracking the trajectory of their league form, identifying the players to watch out for, discussing their tactics, a...

HAPPY WE BEAT WOFLSBURG POD! Maryam & André review Chelsea FCW's 5-1 aggregate win over Wolfsburg in the Champions League quarterfinal! We spotlight the tactics, performances, and key moments that allowed Chelsea and Emma Hayes to finally clear this hurdle and turn the tables on Wolfsburg in the Champions League. We also discuss the tremendous video of Emma Hayes' instructions to the team during t...

Welcome to Fran Kirby's Fight Club! In this episode Maryam and André review Chelsea FCW's 2-0 win over Aston Villa via two more #Kerrby connections, then shift their focus to the second leg of Chelsea's Champions League tie with Wolfsburg (which the Blues lead 2-1 on aggregate). We review the first leg, in which Chelsea didn't at all look like themselves but still somehow escaped with the win and...

Maryam and André are in your ears yet again with a quick overview of Chelsea running rampant at Walton Hall Park before turning our attentions toward the Champions League quarterfinal. We then break down the full UWCL draw before focusing on Chelsea's tie with Wolfsburg. The German club are comfortably second in the Frauen Bundesliga but are clearly missing the goalscoring fireworks Pernille Harde...

Maryam, podcast host and writer at Squawka, and André Carlisle, writer at WAGNH, go bonkers over Chelsea's rampaging play that secured the first trophy of the season. We dissect goals, express overjoyed relief at finally getting a Sam Kerr backflip in blue, talk about the best player in England -- Fran Kirby, note the sadness and potential long-term impact of Maren Mjelde's injury, and discuss the...

Maryam and André take you on a quick review of Chelsea FCW's 2-0 win away at West Ham, courtesy of Sam Kerr and Bethany England. Then we react to the absurd, ridiculous, amazing, brilliant, incredible, hilarious, magnificent 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the first leg of our Champions League tie. We then preview the second leg, discuss Captain Magda's injury and wish her superhuman healing power...

Maryam and André get you set for the Blues resuming their Champions League run by welcoming Atlético Madrid Women into Kingsmeadow! Both teams haven't played a competitive match since the 14th of February. We discuss that, Emma Hayes' probable approach to the match, the tactic Chelsea need to be prepared for, Atleti players to keep an eye on, plus our predictions for the first leg! Subscribe, rate...

Chelsea FCW dispatched of Arsenal in impressive fashion, then went to Bristol and bombarded The Robins in an avalanche of attacks and, eventually, goals. We chat about Chelsea's performances in both matches, and spotlight some of our favorite goals. Then we get into the tactical tweak from Emma Hayes that has unleashed the attack and led to the Blues piling on the goals. We also give special shout...

Chelsea..........lost??? Your hosts review a thoroughly frustrating day at Kingsmeadow; then marvel at the team finding a way to never have that game for two years. We also talk about reports surrounding Emma Hayes and, relatedly, women's football overall, give an ode to Fran Kirby, plus look ahead to a big match versus Arsenal – which just got a lot bigger. Subscribe, rate and review! #CFCW

Chelsea FCW are back to scoring goals in bunches! Four versus Manchester City in the Conti Cup quarterfinal, four versus Aston Villa, and another four against Spurs. We recap all the goals and break down the win versus Spurs in which Chelsea looked out of sorts for the first ~20 minutes, then did that thing they do, and that we love. Plus we give a special shoutout to the Leupolz-Ji pivot! Subscri...

Chelsea FCW extend their unbeaten record with a victory that knocks Manchester United off the top of the WSL table! It was a big match with some equally big performances. We talk about Magdalena Eriksson, Erin Cuthbert, Ji So-yun, and of course SUPER FRAN KIRBY. Listen, share, subscribe, rate and review! #CFCW

Do we even need a description this week? Fran Kirby scored FOUR goals in ONE match! FOUR! Three in the first half for A PERFECT HAT-TRICK!! WE LITERALLY COULD NOT WAIT TO TALK ABOUT IT!!!! [professional pause] We also discuss the Melanie Leupolz-Erin Cuthbert midfield, the Millie Bright-Sophie Ingle CB pairing, and look ahead to next week's titanic top-of-the-table clash with Manchester United. Su...

We made it to 2021! We hope you had a healthy and safe holiday and are ready for the return of Chelsea FCW — and what a return it will be! Six matches in just over two weeks! To prepare, we did our second Deep Dive episode, this time on Chelsea's defense. We break down by Eriksson and Bright are the perfect complementary pair, what Emma Hayes is doing to help the fullbacks in transition, Jonna And...

Chelsea's final scheduled match of 2020 was postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests, and the FKFC crew wishes all affected persons a full and speedy recovery. In this episode we reflect on the first half of the season, look ahead to a torrid start to 2021, let you in on some exciting things to look forward to in future pods and, above all, thank each of our listeners for supporting us! Stay safe,...