Straight Outta Cobham: The Athletic FC's Chelsea show

It's a point they haven't managed to get in the past... Matt Davies-Adams has got Liam Twomey in tow to look back on the blustery and attritional goalless draw with Everton at Goodison Park. Then, as it's our final show of the year we take a look back at 2024 in the life of Chelsea - the ups, the downs, the managerial changes and everything in between. A couple of familiar voices drop by to share their reflections on the past 12 months at Stamford Bridge and beyond. We're taking our Christmas break BUT we'll be back with you on Thursday 2nd January to look back on the festive fixtures against Fulham and Ipswich, look ahead to the trip to Crystal Palace - and catch you up with any of the Blues news we've missed while we've been away. (With apologies for the quality of Liam's audio - Santa needs to bring him a new microphone...) HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Liam Twomey PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

26 goals in six games... don't you just love Thursday nights? Matt Davies-Adams in joined by two of The Athletic’s finest - Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson to round off a rather eventful week at Chelsea Football Club. We begin with matters on the pitch, and another thumping Conference League victory on Thursday night as the Blues beat Shamrock Rovers 5-1 to make it six wins from six in the league phase. We praise the tenacity of Marc Guiu, the impressive showing from Josh Acheampong and the future of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Next up a trip to unhappy hunting ground Goodison Park awaits! We preview Sunday’s trip to Merseyside as the Blues look to end a run which has seen them lose five of their last six visits to Everton. But before that, we discuss the news which broke on Tuesday morning that  Mykhailo Mudryk has been provisionally suspended by the FA after an "adverse finding in a routine urine test". Plus, there’s a round up of the rest of the Blues news elsewhere including another Champions League win for CFCW - and the last quiz of the year!  HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They just can't stop winning... Matt Davies-Adams is joined by Simon Johnson and Luke Bosher to reflect on the frantic 2-1 victory over Brentford at Stamford Bridge. After three straight defeats to the Bees at home the curse is finally over! We heap praise on the relentless Moisés Caicedo, bemoan Marc Cucurella's full-time ill-discipline - and Enzo tells us why Chelsea STILL aren't in the title race. Then, there's one last Conference League group phase game to navigate as Dublin's Shamrock Rovers make the trip to Stamford Bridge on matchday six. We ponder team selection and issue an apology for our incorrect naming conventions! Plus, CFCW's bid for a perfect season came to an end as they were held to a surprise 1-1 draw by WSL strugglers Leicester City. No such problems for the under-18s though, who produced a stunning comeback to progress to the 4th round of the FA Youth Cup at the expense of the Foxes.  We'll be back on Friday to reflect on that final Conference League group game against Shamrock Rovers AND look ahead to Sunday's final trip to Goodison Park. HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Turns out it *really* is really, really cold in Kazakhstan... Matt Davies-Adams has got Jessy Parker Humphreys, Liam Twomey and a whole load of special guests all the way over in Almaty as Chelsea made their longest ever trip for European competition - and came out on top with a comfortable 3-1 win in arctic conditions. We speak to fans from far and wide about their love for the club - and what made them make the 3000+ mile journey to follow the Blues abroad! Attention then turns to Sunday night's showdown with fellow West Londoners Brentford, who rather enjoy playing at Stamford Bridge... Plus - Jessy brings us up to speed with the latest goings on for the women's team - and we do a quiz! We'll be back on Monday with our reflections on the visit of bogey team the Bees and a look ahead to the final Conference League group game against Shamrock Rovers! HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Liam Twomey and Jessy Parker Humphreys PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another thoroughly entertaining and rewarding trip to Three Point Lane... Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Chelsea finest - Simon Johnson and Liam Twomey alongside him to look back on the crazy 4-3 victory over Tottenham on Sunday afternoon. We try and unpack the carnage that unfolded with the help of your messages - including how the turnaround came about, love for Sancho - and quelling of talk of title charges. Then, anyone for a trip to Kazakstan?! We preview Thursday's arctic encounter with Astana. Elsewhere, Chelsea Women returned from the international break with yet another victory - this time beating previous banana skin Brighton 4-2. Sonia Bompastor's side are back in action against Twente in the Champions League on Wednesday night. We'll be back on Friday (or maybe late Thursday night if Producer Lucy can stay awake in Almaty and finish the edit in time) to reflect on the latest Conference League adventure and preview Sunday evening's visit of Brentford. HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Liam Twomey and Simon Johnson PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

That did the old goal difference no harm at all... Matt Davies-Adams is joined by Luke Bosher and Liam Twomey to look back on the 5-1 thumping of a sorry Southampton at St Mary's on Wednesday night. Simon Johnson sends his post-match thoughts on what he described as the 'unrecognisable feel-good factor' around the club at the moment after yet another impressive victory for Enzo Maresca's side. But it means nothing if they can't go across to their old friends in North London and get a result on Sunday afternoon... The Athletic's Tottenham report Jay Harris stops by to give us an insight into Ange Postecoglou's enigmatic Spurs side ahead of the big meeting in N17. CFCW are back in action on Sunday as they host Brighton - looking to make it eight wins from eight in the WSL. Plus - who'll come out on top in the quiz?! HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Luke Bosher and Liam Twomey PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So... should we be talking about Chelsea as serious contenders?! Matt Davies-Adams has got two of the Athletic's finest - Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson alongside him to run the rule over the highly convincing 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday afternoon. Liam Twomey was on site and sent his dispatch as Enzo and co received the plaudits from a jubilant crowd. The Blues will be hoping to bottle up the current positivity when they make the trip to Southampton on Wednesday evening. We look ahead to that game against an injury and suspension-ravaged Saints side. We'll be back on Thursday to reflect on the trip to St Mary's and look ahead to the small matter of Sunday's showdown with Tottenham in North London! HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Climbing that hill was worth it... Matt Davies-Adams has got Jessy Parker Humphreys and Dom Fifield with him to look back on the 2-0 Conference League victory over Heidenheim out in Germany. Back to Premier League matters on Sunday - with a faltering Aston Villa in town having won just 1 of their last 7 in the league. So, would a win here mean Chelsea need to start to be considered serious contenders for a top four spot - or even higher? As usual we exploit Jessy for their WSL expertise to check in on the rather excellent fortunes of CFCW - before a quiz AND some Nicholas Jackson karaoke... We'll be back on Monday to reflect on Sunday's Aston Villa match and look ahead to the midweek trip to Southampton! HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Jessy Parker Humphreys and Dom Fifield PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anyone else fancy kicking lumps out of Cole Palmer? Matt Davies-Adams has got Liam Twomey and Simon Johnson along for the ride to look back on the 2-1 victory at Leicester - which was in truth far more comfortable a win than the scoreline suggested. We lavish praise on Nicholas Jackson and take a closer look at some of the tactical tweaks Enzo Maresca made in a pretty experimental line up. Then, The Athletic's German football correspondent Seb Stafford-Bloor stops by to give us the inside line on Thursday's Europa Conference League opponents Heidenheim - and their very large hill! Plus, guess what?! Chelsea Women won again! We'll be back on Friday to reflect on Thursday night's German adventure AND preview Sunday's visit of Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge. HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Simon Johnson, Liam Twomey & Seb Stafford-Bloor PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not the kind of news we wanted to start with... Matt Davies-Adams has got Liam Twomey and Luke Bosher alongside him to get back in the swing of things ahead of Saturday's Enzo Maresca Derby. But before we get to the game - we start with the news that Reece James has suffered yet another injury setback - picking up a hamstring problem in the international break. It was revealed by Enzo Maresca in his pre-match press conference shortly after we'd finished recording - so we jumped back on to hear from the boss and give our reflections on the latest bad news for the club captain. Then it's back to focusing on the Foxes - with talk of midfield dynamics, tricky wingers and favourable fixtures - plus a special guest to give us some insight into Saturday's hosts... There was more joy for CFCW as they cruised to a 3-0 win over Celtic at Stamford Bridge to progress to the quarterfinals with two games to spare - plus we bid an emotional farewell to Hilário - and do a quiz! We'll return on Monday to look back on the trip to the Kingpower and preview Thursday's visit to Germany to take on Heidenheim in the Conference League. HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Luke Bosher and Liam Twomey PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chelsea Women are *literally* perfect... Matt Davies-Adams and Liam Twomey are with you for your Monday dose of Straight Outta Cobham. Jessy Parker Humphreys drops in to reflect on the huge 2-0 victory for CFCW over title rivals Manchester City at Stamford Bridge - which leaves Sonia Bompastor's side with seven wins from seven and a hugely significant three points against their closest challengers. Then, The Athletic's football data writer Thom Harris stops by to give us an insight into some of the tactical intricacies of Enzo Maresca's Blues - including whether there's any fitting Christopher Nkunku into the current system, Cole Palmer's best role, and whether the omission of Enzo Fernandez is actually costing Chelsea from an attacking perspective... There's a brief whistle-stop tour around some of the international action, plus a word on the latest FFP implications - and we revisit the 'which former player would you bring back and put in the current team?' debate! We'll be back on Thursday to look ahead to Saturday's trip to Leicester - and bring you the result from Wednesday's visit of Celtic in the Women's Champions League. HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Liam Twomey, Jessy Parker Humphries and Thom Harris PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the proper football back yet? Matt Davies-Adams has got Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson with him to tackle some of your questions as we try and pass the hours in the never tedious international break. We touch on defensive fragility, the A/B team dynamic, the latest on the ownership fallout - and tips for getting into sport journalism! Elsewhere, Chelsea Women continued their perfect start to the season with a 2-1 victory over Celtic in the Champions League. Jessy Parker Humphreys sends their thoughts on the latest win for Sonia Bompastor's side. Plus - how much do you remember about the season so far? There's a quiz for that... We'll be back on Monday to take a closer look at Chelsea's season so far - and check in with Jessy to see how CFCW have fared in arguably their biggest test of the season so far against title rivals Manchester City in the WSL. HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back, Kai... Two of The Athletic's finest - Luke Bosher and Liam Twomey - are alongside Matt Davies-Adams as we reflect on the feisty and tesne 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. We question the signs of progress against the 'big' sides, Enzo's team tinkering with captain Reece James on the bench - and the continuing Robert Sánchez sized elephant in the room. Elsewhere, Chelsea Women just keep doing Chelsea Women things in a 3-0 win at Liverpool to extend their perfect start to the WSL season to six wins from six! It might be the international break, but we'll be back with you on Thursday AND Monday this time round to keep you right across all the latest Blues news in the never dull world of Chelsea Football Club. Follow us on X: x.com/SOCobhamPod Email us: soc@theathletic.com HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Luke Bosher and Liam Twomey PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They only managed eight?!? Matt Davies-Adams is joined by Jessy Parker Humphreys and Simon Johnson to revel in the good vibes felt at Stamford Bridge following the 8-0 victory over Noah in the Europa Conference League. It's prompted more questions about the benefits of Chelsea being in the competition and whether they're 'too big' to be competing at this level - but we've all been drinking the ECL Kool-Aid! It's fair to say the test on Sunday will be a *little bit* tougher - with Arsenal making the visit to SW6 to take on the Blues - who haven't beaten the Gunners since August 2021. Adrian Clarke stops by to give us an insight into Mikel Arteta's side - including their injury concerns and the impact (or lack thereof) that Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz have had so far at The Emirates... We touch base with the women's side ahead of their trip to take on Liverpool on Sunday, round up a disappointing cup exit for the U21's - and do a quiz! We'll be back on Monday for all the fallout from that huge clash with Arsenal - plus all the other Blues news from across a busy weekend. HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Simon Johnson and Jessy Parker Humphreys PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The wait for an Old Trafford win goes on... Matt Davies-Adams has got two of The Athletic's finest - Simon Johnson and Luke Bosher - alongside him to look back on the frustrating 1-1 draw with Manchester United. We dissect the potential imbalance in Maresca's system, ponder the back line conundrum - and wonder whether Chelsea will ever score from a set piece again... Then it's all eyes on Thursday night - with Armenian outfit Noah in town on matchday three of the Europa Conference League. Who needs minutes most? Who's got to take their chance? And who are Noah?! Meanwhile, Chelsea Women continued their blistering start to the season as they made it a perfect five wins from five for Sonia Bompastor's side in the WSL after their 5-0 thrashing of Everton at Goodison Park. We'll be back on Friday to reflect on the visit of Noah and preview Sunday's mouthwatering showdown with Arsenal at Stamford Bridge. HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Luke Bosher and Simon Johnson PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11 changes too many... Matt Davies-Adams has got Luke Bosher and Liam Twomey with him to look back on the disappointing 2-0 cup exit at the hands of Newcastle on Wednesday night. We ponder the wisdom of the decision to field an entirely changed XI - and whether we should be worried about the disparity in quality between the 'A' and 'B' teams. Now to see whether the changes were worth it - as Chelsea prepare for a trip to face Ruud van Nistelrooy's Manchester United. The Athletic's Carl Anka is on hand to help us gauge the mood around Old Trafford following the departure of Erik ten Hag as Enzo Maresca's side look to end a torrid run of form which has seen them fail to win on the road at United since 2013!! There's a round up of the Blues news elsewhere - with CFCW back in action after the international break with a trip to Everton on Sunday night. And of course - we finish with a quiz with a Manchester United flavour... We'll be back on Monday to reflect on events at Old Trafford and preview the midweek visit of Armenian outfit Noah in the Conference League. HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Liam Twomey, Luke Bosher & Carl Anka PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Magpies double-header is off to a good start... Matt Davies-Adams has got The Athletic's Liam Twomey and Luke Bosher alongside him to look back on Sunday afternoon's 2-1 victory over Newcastle in the Premier League. We eulogise over *that* Palmer pass, discuss the return of Reece James amid questions over his 'leadership' credentials - and wonder what this line-up tells us about Enzo's roll in midfield... There's not long to wait until the next match-up with Eddie Howe's men - off to St James' Park on Wednesday night in the last 16 of the Carabao Cup. We pick our starting XI's for that game and ponder the importance of this competition. We'll be back on Thursday to look back on that cup tie AND look ahead of Sunday's trip to Old Trafford to take on a beleaguered Manchester United (new manager bounce, anyone?! Sigh) HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Liam Twomey & Luke Bosher PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They're quite good at this whole Conference League thing... Matt Davies-Adams is joined by Jessy Parker Humphreys and Luke Bosher to look back on the hugely comfortable 4-1 win over Panathinaikos over in Athens which leaves Chelsea with three wins from three in Europe. Liam Twomey was at the match for The Athletic and sends his musings. Will anyone be enough to stop Enzo Maresca's side from going all the way and winning the competition? It's back to the bread and butter of the Premier League on Sunday afternoon as the Blues host Newcastle at Stamford Bridge. There's a look ahead to that game - plus a focus on the fortunes of CFCW so far this season AND a first-time quiz match up as Jessy and Luke go head-to-head in a high-quality contest... We'll be back on Monday to recount the Premier League clash with the Magpies AND look ahead to Wednesday's trip to St James' Park for the second dose of Newcastle in the Carabao Cup. HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Jessy Parker Humphreys and Luke Bosher PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The winless streak against Liverpool stretches to 10... Matt Davies-Adams has got Simon Johnson and Luke Bosher with him to look back on Sunday afternoon's 2-1 defeat at Anfield. We talk Reece's return, defensive fragility and the Neto v Sancho selection conundrum - plus a chance to hear from Enzo Maresca in conversation with Simon after the game. The attention turns to Thursday night's Conference League jaunt to Athens to take on Panathinaikos. Plus, Chelsea Women continue their winning start to the season with a 5-2 rout of Spurs - with a simply stunning goal from Johanna Rytting Kaneryd which left some of us choking at the breakfast table! We'll be back on Friday to review the Blues' trip to Greece and look ahead to Sunday's Premier League clash with Newcastle. HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Simon Johnson & Luke Bosher PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's about to get real... Matt Davies-Adams has got Liam Twomey and Simon Johnson alongside him as we get back into the swing of domestic matters. We round up all the news from across the international break - including plenty of honours, national team fortunes and the return of Thomas Tuchel... Then it's all eyes on the trip to Anfield! The Athletic's Liverpool correspondent James Pearce stops by to give us an insight into Arne Slot's side ahead of Sunday's game - whilst we take a closer look at the key selection issues going into the clash. There's a round up of CFCW's recent fortunes - and a quiz! We'll be with you again on Monday to look back on the visit to Anfield (if Producer Lucy returns from Miami!) and preview Thursday's trip to Panathinaikos. HOST: Matt Davies-Adams WITH: Liam Twomey & Simon Johnson PRODUCER: Lucy Oliva Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices