Straight Outta Cobham: The Athletic FC's Chelsea show

Failing to score at home for the first time since the opening day of last season!? Matt Davies-Adams has got Liam Twomey and Luke Bosher along for the ride as we look back on the pretty underwhelming goalless draw with Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon. We take the positives from Josh Acheampong's excellent performance in the heart of the defence - but are left lamenting the la...

The countdown to Sunday, 2pm is on... Matt Davies-Adams gears up for the brand spanking new 2025-26 Premier League season with the help of The Athletic's Luke Bosher and Liam Twomey. We begin with our reflections on the two impressive victories over Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan in the *very* truncated pre-season. What lessons will Enzo Maresca have learned? And what clues does it give us about wh...

2025-26 season coming in hot... Matt Davies-Adams, Liam Twomey and Simon Johnson are BACK as we round up a rather extensive list of transfer incomings and outgoings with the new campaign fast approaching. First things first, The Athletic's German football expert Seb Stafford-Bloor gives us an flavour of what Blues fans can expect from Jamie Gittens, a transfer that got overshadowed amid the July's...

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 Mal...

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 s...

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...

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 h...

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 wo...

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 Char...

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 stru...

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'...

Who's hyped for the Club World Cup then...anyone...anyone!? Matt Davies-Adams has got Liam Twomey and Sam Parkin alongside him as we take a considered look back at the 2024-25 campaign following last week's Conference League victory out in Poland. Then, we pivot to the upcoming CWC over in the USA - with another piece of silverware up for grabs. So - who actually cares?! And will the players be mo...

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...

It was never, ever in doubt... Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Luke Bosher and Liam Twomey alongside him to wrap up the 1-0 final day victory over Nottingham Forest to seal Chelsea's participation in next season's Champions League. Liam was on hand to soak up the atmosphere at the final whistle - and was in the room as Enzo Maresca silenced the haters with a... kind of F-bomb?!! We reflec...

It all comes down to this... Matt Davies-Adams has got Simon Johnson and Luke Bosher alongside him to look ahead to the final day of the Premier League season aka Nottingham Forest (A) aka the MDA Derby to end all MDA Derbies. The Athletic's Nick Miller - who happens to be a Forest fan - stops by to give us an insight into what the Blues should expect from the hosts at the City Ground - who still...

It was never going to be pretty, was it?! Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Chelsea experts Liam Twomey and Simon Johnson alongside him to look back on the narrow 1-0 victory over Manchester United in the Premier League on Friday night. We talk Marc Cucurella's incredible hot streak in front of goal, the invaluable contribution of Reece James which is making team selection difficult for Enz...

Surely they have to beat *this* Man United team?! Matt Davies-Adams, Liam Twomey and Sam Parkin assemble to look ahead to a huge Friday night and Sunday afternoon for Chelsea Football Club. We begin under the lights at Stamford Bridge, where at 20:15 on Friday evening the Blues host a Manchester United side who sit 16th in the table, haven't won a game in the Premier League since the 16th March, h...

Oh, Nicolas... Matt Davies-Adams is joined by The Athletic's Liam Twomey and Luke Bosher to run the rule over Sunday's 2-0 defeat at Newcastle. There's only one place to start (unfortunately) - we get the post-match thoughts of Simon Johnson from the St. James' Park press box and hear him in conversation with Enzo Maresca following the 36th-minute red card handed out to Nicolas Jackson after his s...

The most low-key semi-final second leg ever?! Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Simon Johnson and Luke Bosher alongside him to run the rule over Thursday night's 1-0 victory over Djurgården. It's a result that sealed a 5-1 aggregate victory as the Blues cruised into the Conference League final - where they'll face Real Betis in what's surely going to be a far more competitive contest on the...

Where would Chelsea be in the table if Romeo Lavia had been fit all season?! Matt Davies-Adams has The Athletic's Simon Johnson and Liam Twomey alongside him to look back on the huge 3-1 victory over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. We talk Cole Palmer's masterful performance, Romeo Lavia's pivotal role which as been sorely missed too often in this campaign - and the tireless work of Moises...

First came Didier, then came Romelu, then came... Matt Davies-Adams has got Dom Fifield and the returning Super Sammy Parkin alongside him to look back on the comprehensive 4-1 Conference League semi-final first leg victory over Djurgården. Simon Johnson spoke to us at full-time to give a flavour of events on the ground in Sweden. Then our focus shifts back to the Premier League and the visit of L...

Does your Djurgården need watering? Matt Davies-Adams is joined by Simon Johnson and Luke Bosher for your Monday dose of Chelsea chat. We begin with a look back on the 1-0 victory over Everton on Saturday - with Jackson back amongst the goals, Lavia back in the starting line up - and Chelsea looking like they're back in with a realistic chance of a top five finish. Then, it's all eyes on the Confe...

Now is not the time to get stuck in a spot of bother... Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Chelsea experts Simon Johnson and Liam Twomey alongside him to look ahead to Saturday's visit of the Toffees at Stamford Bridge. On Sunday Chelsea Women try and pull off the unthinkable and overturn a three-goal deficit against Barcelona in their Champions League semi-final second leg. Megan Feringa gi...

Just returning the favour after Boxing Day... Matt Davies-Adams is joined by Liam Twomey and Luke Bosher to reflect on the unlikely Easter Sunday comeback which saw Chelsea score two late goals to beat Fulham 2-1 at Craven Cottage. We talk half-time tweaks, the outpouring of emotion at full-time from the players and fans - and what this means for the chances of Champions League football next seaso...

Has a team ever reached a European semi-final but been booed off the pitch? Asking for a friend... Matt Davies-Adams, Luke Bosher and Dom Fifield unite BEFORE the Legia game to look ahead to Sunday's visit to Fulham in the Premier League. But don't worry - thanks to the magic of editing we also hear from Simon Johnson in the press box after the hugely demoralising 2-1 defeat by Legia Warsaw in the...