Straight Outta Cobham: The Athletic FC's Chelsea show

We've seen this movie far too many times now...

Matt Davies-Adams has got Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson in tow to look back on the hugely frustrating and in many ways avoidable 2-1 defeat by Arsenal at The Emirates.

We begin with a pretty dismayed Liam Twomey and his thoughts from the press box - before reflecting on Robert Sanchez's disastrous afternoon, the unfortunate gulf in class between Arsenal and Chelsea in this current iteration - and the latest red card in a shocking string of inexcusable dismissals which have cost the Blues so dearly.

There's no time to sulk though - with a trip to Birmingham and a faltering Aston Villa on Wednesday night. The hosts have only won two of their last seven in the league - and Rosenior's side could close the gap on them to three points if they could come away with a win.

Plus, our thoughts on a meeting with Club World Cup friends PSG in the Champions League which is just around the corner...

We're back in your ears on Thursday with reaction from the trip to Villa - and a look ahead to the visit to Wrexham in the 5th round of the FA Cup!

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

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Ninth time lucky in the Premier League against Arsenal?!

Matt Davies-Adams has got Luke Bosher and Sam Parkin for company as we look ahead to the trip across London to take on the league leaders of Sunday afternoon.

We discuss the remaining fixture list which the infamous Opta Supercomputer has deemed the hardest in the league - but could it actually work to their advantage? Plus, who's going to come into the back-line?! And which approach will come out on top in the balance between caution and proactiveness?

Then - Simon Johnson pops by to talk us through his interview with Omari Kellyman - who is flourishing on loan at high-flying Cardiff City after a difficult start to his life at Chelsea plagued by injury. We hear from the man himself about the support he received from the likes of Reece James - who's proved that a comeback from serious setbacks is possible.

Plus - who takes the ill-discipline crown in our latest Chelsea Top 10's?

We'll be back on Monday to reflect on event at The Emirates - and look ahead to the midweek trip to Birmingham to take on top five rivals Aston Villa!

• Join the Straight Outta Cobham fantasy league

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Luke Bosher, Sam Parkin & Simon Johnson

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

19 points dropped... NINETEEN POINTS!

Matt Davies-Adams is joined by two of The Athletic's finest - Simon Johnson and Liam Twomey - to look back on the shocker of a 1-1 draw with Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

We discuss the overall poor level of performance, the defensive substitutions and the mistakes that this team just don't seem to be learning from week in, week out.

Elsewhere, new shirt sponsor alert! We're only seven months into the season - but we've got an IFS.ai update - and why the club aren't in a rush to secure a long-term front of shirt partner...

As we've said so often in the past - thank goodness for CFCW! It wasn't pretty - but they booked their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup thanks to a 2-1 win over Manchester United AET. Cerys was there and sent her thoughts on what could prove to be a crucial victory to set the tone for the rest of the season.

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Simon Johnson and Liam Twomey

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coming to a Dubai nightclub near you soon...

Matt Davies-Adams has got Liam Twomey and Cerys Jones with him for a closer look at the Premier League clash with (surely?) Championship-bound Burnley at Stamford Bridge.

Why is Cole Palmer so good at taking penalties? What makes Andrey Santos such an important cog in Liam Rosenior's system? And how have Chelsea given up the most xG in the Premier League from defensive set-pieces this season!? And how important is this game to cement their position as a top-five side given they've already dropped points against Sunderland and Leeds at home...

Plus - can Chelsea Women progress in the FA Cup? They host frequent foes Manchester United in the fifth round of Sunday - we preview that game.

And most importantly - which Chelsea player would you most like to go on holiday with? That's the kind of content you come for!

We'll be back on Monday to run the rule over Saturday's visit of Burnley - and discuss whether CFCW have booked their place in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup!

• Join the Straight Outta Cobham FPL League!

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Cerys Jones and Liam Twomey

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matt Davies-Adams is joined by Simon Johnson and Luke Bosher for a look back on the 4-0 victory at Hull on Friday night to safely book their place in the 5th round of the FA Cup.

We discuss why Pedro Neto perhaps doesn't get the plaudits despite his three goals, another peculiar night for Liam Delap - and the Mamadou Sarr revelation as he impresses on his full debut for the club.

Then - with an *actual* midweek without football for the first time since the end of December - we wonder what Liam Rosenior will be prioritising on the training pitch now he's got some time with his players for the first time!

Plus - CFCW reacted to a difficult week off the pitch in a positive manner - beating Liverpool 2-0 in the WSL to keep their hopes of a top three finish alive.

We'll be back on Wednesday to look ahead to Saturday's visit of Burnley to Stamford Bridge - and CFCW's FA Cup 5th round FA Cup tie with Manchester United!

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh Cole, it was harder to miss...

Matt Davies-Adams has Luke Bosher and Liam Twomey for company to look back on Tuesday night's 2-2 draw with Leeds and Stamford Bridge.

The scoreline certainly doesn't tell the whole story - with the Blues throwing away a two-goal lead in farcical fashion to be held by Daniel Farke's side - and Cole Palmer missing an open goal! Simon Johnson sends in his thoughts from the press box on a frustrating evening and what feels like an opportunity missed.

Attention then turns to the FA Cup and the long trip to face Championship promotion hopefuls Hull City on Friday night. We look ahead to that game as Liam Rosenior makes his return to the side he played for and managed.

Elsewhere - there was big breaking news out of Chelsea Women on Monday evening, when it was announced that head of women's football Paul Green is leaving the club after 13 years. You can read the deep-dive on The Athletic - but women's football writer Megan Feringa joins us for the inside scoop on how the news has been received - and what it means for the club going forward.

We'll be back on Monday to look back on the visit to Hull - and rejoice in a free midweek without any football to hopefully rest the weary bodies!

• Read - Chelsea Women in crisis: A critical exit, player confusion and the role of the men’s sporting directors
• Join our SOC fantasy league! League Code: 7lntvq

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Luke Bosher, Liam Twomey and Megan Feringa

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've missed singing 'Palmer again ole, ole'...

Matt Davies-Adams is joined by two of The Athletic's finest - Cerys Jones and Simon Johnson - for a Monday dose of SOC off the back of Chelsea's 3-1 win at Wolves on Saturday.

On the agenda: Cole Palmer's very welcome return to form, Rosenior's role adjustments - and why they can never quite put together a full, 90-minute performance...

Next, can the Blues avenge their horror show at Elland Road back at the start of December? We look ahead to Tuesday night's visit of Leeds United to the Bridge in the midweek Premier League action.

Plus, CFCW got back to winning ways with their 2-0 victory at Tottenham... in front of Madonna! It means the gap to the top of the table is back to nine points after Man City's defeat at Arsenal.

There's also a focus on Cobham! With the under 18's hosting Manchester City in the 5th round of the FA Youth Cup on Monday evening and the U21's flying high in PL2.

We'll be back on Wednesday with a look back on the visit of Leeds - and a look ahead to the trip to Hull on Friday night to face Liam Rosenior's former side in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

• Join the Straight Outta Cobham FPL League!

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Cerys Jones and Simon Johnson

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

That elusive goal...

Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Luke Bosher and Liam Twomey with him after the Blues were knocked out of the League Cup by Arsenal.

Beaten 4-2 on aggregate, 1-0 on the night by a last-gasp Kai Havertz (of course) goal - we take a closer look at yet another tactical set-up, the glaring absence of Reece James - and what the team needs to do to get the best out of Liam Delap.

It's back to Premier League matters on Saturday - with bottom of the table Wolves the assignment. We've got eyes on that game as the Blues look to consolidate their place in the hunt for a top five finish.

Plus - a whistlestop round up of the sparse deadline day dealings - and can Chelsea Women bounce back from the hammering at Man City when they travel to Tottenham? Oh - and can you name the 10 most expensive signings of all-time!?

We'll be back on Monday to run the rule over the trip to Molineux - and look ahead to the midweek visit of Leeds to Stamford Bridge!

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Luke Bosher and Liam Twomey

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the 57th time of asking...

Matt Davies-Adams and Sam Parkin team up to look back on the dramatic 3-2 victory over West Ham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening.

We've got a special double-header voice note from the press box on the final whistle as Cerys and Liam try and sum up the chaos that played out in front of them in the dictionary definition of a game of two halves.

Can the Blues bottle up that second 45 minutes and take it into Tuesday night's League Cup semi-final second leg at The Emirates?! We preview the trip to Arsenal - before Simon Johnson gives his deadline day verdict on what we can expect business wise from the Blues as the January transfer window closes.

Plus - it was another afternoon to forget for Chelsea Women after their 5-1 demolition by league leaders Manchester City on Sunday. The Athletic reports that Sonia Bompastor's job is safe - despite her saying she'd be ‘happy’ to leave Chelsea ‘if people think I’m not the right person’.

We'll be back slightly earlier on Wednesday this week to bring you our reaction to the Arsenal game - and look ahead to the visit to Molineux!

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Sam Parkin

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Come on, it was never in doubt (!)

Matt Davies-Adams, Liam Twomey and Sam Parkin assemble to revel in the glory of Wednesday night's triumphant 3-2, comeback victory over Napoli to seal safe passage straight through the Champions League last 16.

We of course begin in Naples - and the thoughts of Simon Johnson following the topsy turvy evening which saw Liam Rosenior's tinkering eventually pay off! There's unexpected tactical approaches, Pedro's sensational strikes and sticking the boot in to Romelu Lukaku...

Out of the Champions League haze, attentions turns to Saturday evening and the visit of relegation-threatened West Ham to Stamford Bridge.

Plus - what next for Raheem Sterling after his Chelsea contract was terminated on Wednesday? And can Chelsea Women close the alarmingly wide gap at the top of the WSL table when they head to leaders Manchester City on Wednesday afternoon?

We'll be back on Monday with a look back on all the weekend's action - and a look ahead to the crunch semi-final second leg meeting with Arsenal at The Emirates on Tuesday night.

HOST: Matt Davies-Adams

WITH: Sam Parkin and Liam Twomey

PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.