The Red and Blue Soccer Chat – 11/2/22

The Red and Blue Soccer Chat

Greetings, Reds and Blues fans! Thanks again to those who joined us in person or online for the first-ever Red and Blue Soccer Chat Derby Watch Party. We had a blast and hope to do it again. Meanwhile, games are happening just about every 3 days as the congested fixture list heats up prior to the long break for the World Cup. How have we fared?

Chelsea’s mixed bag of a season continues apace. A 0-0 draw with United was probably just about what they deserved, though they could have easily been down a goal or 2 in the first half had United been a bit sharper. Manager Graham Potter did make an astute tactical change in that first half, though, as he realized United’s attacking dominance and overall control. His switch did change things, and the 2nd half was a much closer contest with Chelsea getting a few good looks of their own. That result was followed by another uneven performance that nevertheless resulted in a win away in the Champions League to Salzburg. However, things took a downward turn at the weekend against Brighton & Hove. Brighton are no slouches, but the manner of defeat for Chelsea was still a bit shocking. Chelsea may take some solace in knowing that United also lost to Brighton in their early-season woes. They better hope to find a similar run of form starting today with Dinamo Zagreb, as their run-in before the break sees them running into Arsenal, City, and a reborn Newcastle in quick succession.

United will probably rue their inability to convert their 1st half dominance into goals against Chelsea, but a draw at the Bridge is still a decent result. A solid 3-0 win over a very compact and defensive-minded Sheriff in the Europa was then followed by a slightly more difficult 1-0 win over West Ham. Rashford has clearly been studying CR7 up close in practice to launch himself into his header for the winner, but it will be the continued imperiousness of David De Gea – who has somehow been left off Spain’s WC roster – and a shaky but influential return from Harry Maguire in the late stages that saw aggressive scenes of joy at the final whistle. United will require a win by 2 clear goals away to Real Sociedad to top their group, and their last few fixtures before the break will feature back-to-back matches against an Aston Villa side with a new manager then a Fulham side that continues to punch above its weight.

We’ll be anxiously viewing Chelsea’s final group stage match prior to tonight’s show and then weighing in with fresh takes on all of the above. Is Evan sweating Chelsea’s recent form? Is Aaron getting excited about how far United has come so far? Join us this evening at 7:00 p.m. on Facebook Live and YouTube Live or catch us at your leisure on our other platforms listed below. Please like, subscribe, and comment wherever you choose to find us. CHEERS!

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