Amid his many other divine gifts, Messi’s first touch is consistently, routinely, impossibly flawless

A piece with @anantaajith.bsky.social and @sebsb.bsky.social on Xhaka. Alonso loves him, he brings leadership as well as quality and was excellent at Sunderland last season. But at 33, how much is that worth to Chelsea? 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/740...

Part two of an exclusive interview with former Chelsea goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon on: 🇧🇪 His problem with Courtois 🚬 Sarri insisting on Kepa 🧤 Finding Mendy at Reims 🤞 His hope for Penders 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/738...

Part one of an exclusive interview with former Chelsea goalkeeping coach Christophe Lollichon on: 🚙 The bond forged with Cech in a Rennes car park 🐐 How to stop Messi - and Rory Delap 🏆 Prepping for Bayern’s penalty takers in Munich 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/738...

Messi being resolutely bang average at penalties is one of the most charming things about him

A piece on Trevoh Chalobah’s call-up to England’s World Cup squad, and a Chelsea career defined by stoic strength of character. His faith has been rewarded again 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/736...

As Estevao continues his recovery, I spoke to two experts on hamstring injuries in football about grade four tears - why they aren't all the same, why they don't all require surgery, and what the return to play looks like 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/733...

🌎WORLD CUP PREVIEW PART ONE!🌎 @acjimbo.bsky.social, @oilysailor.bsky.social, @liamtwomey.bsky.social & Natalie Gedra consider the contenders🏆 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿Can Tuchel + players coexist? 🇪🇸Can Spain be stopped @polballus.bsky.social? 🇫🇷Can France be stopped @tomwfootball.bsky.social? youtu.be/_GB1UuxqeqE

𝗢𝗙𝗙-𝗦𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗢𝗡 𝗦𝗢𝗖!🚨 Recording our first pod of the summer tomorrow - with @mattdaviesadams.bsky.social, @liamtwomey.bsky.social & Sam Parkin having a closer look at the #CFC players at the World Cup... and some notable absentees... Plus - all the other Blues news! Thoughts/ questions?

The king of the playground (Free to read) www.nytimes.com/athletic/719...

Filip Jorgensen wants to leave Chelsea in search of regular game time and the club are open to offers, particularly with Mike Penders set to join the first team this summer. Full @theathleticfc.bsky.social story below, follows @nizaarkinsella.bsky.social 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/731...

Here’s a ranking of Chelsea’s 11 red cards this season using my highly sophisticated DAFT metric, which I’m hopeful could become as influential in the football discourse as XG 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/730...

That’s quite the end-of-season review

Cesar Azpilicueta is retiring from professional football after 20 seasons. Brilliant player, amazing career and one of the best people I’ve covered at Chelsea

🚨MONDAY POD!🚨 It’s @acjimbo.bsky.social, @danielstorey85.bsky.social, @colinmillar.bsky.social & Tim Spiers after an action-packed weekend ⚒️Hammers doomed? 😎Alonso to Chelsea with @liamtwomey.bsky.social 🏆Semenyo secures silverware 💪Bruno the best in the world? 🥊Salah v Slot again pod.fo/e/418110

Levi Colwill was excellent today. It's astonishing what he's done vs Liverpool and City considering how long he was out. Tuchel was at Wembley and has to consider him for the World Cup now, which seemed inconceivable only a few weeks ago. Some words from Wembley www.nytimes.com/athletic/727...

𝗣𝗥𝗘 𝗙𝗔 𝗖𝗨𝗣 𝗙𝗜𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗢𝗗! 🚨🏆 @mattdaviesadams.bsky.social, @lukebosher.bsky.social & @liamtwomey.bsky.social joining forces for a look ahead to Wembley... Let's get your pre-match predictions ahead of City! Can #CFC break the Wembley curse?! And end their 13-game winless run against Pep's side?!

Chelsea say they’re bringing in a fairer, more flexible ticketing system. CST have branded the club “tone deaf”. What is going on? Here’s an attempt to answer the main questions 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/726...

Calum McFarlane said Chelsea’s first 15 minutes yesterday were unacceptable. He wasn’t wrong, but his words felt a bit small for the moment. There’s a lot more that is unacceptable about Chelsea right now. 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/725...

Six successive PL defeats 😳 Chelsea beaten 3-1 by Forest (yes, they really did score) to make hopes of European football even more fanciful. @mattdaviesadams.bsky.social, @liamtwomey.bsky.social & @sjohnsonsport.bsky.social summing up the latest low in #CFC's season tomorrow. Come on then 💬👇

𝗧𝗛𝗨𝗥𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗣𝗢𝗗! 🚨 Get some @mattdaviesadams.bsky.social, @liamtwomey.bsky.social & Sam Parkin in your ears... 🌳 Forest on Monday 🤔 Any managerial developments? 🇮🇹 Cesc happy at Como? ⏳ Mudryk's Cas appeal 🥹 Bright's retirement w/ @charpur.bsky.social #CFC pod.fo/e/40aa55

Full story on Mudryk latest below. Pretty ridiculous that it fell to CAS, rather than the Football Association, to disclose that he's been handed a four-year ban pending appeal 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/724...

You know it’s been a breathless encounter when one of the goalkeepers goes down with cramp

It will never not be hilarious that PSG lost Mbappe for nothing and immediately became a generational monster of a team

That first half made nine months spent watching in-swinging corners worth it

Kvaratskhelia is the Ballon d’Or of my heart

It’s so great to see two elite teams empowering their brilliant attackers to create their own solutions in the final third. PSG and Bayern are are a joy to watch

Already a more kinetic performance from Chelsea in these opening minutes

Player power is back at Chelsea, even if it looks a bit different in 2026 from the Abramovich era vintage. It’s up to the dressing room to unite and try to salvage something from this miserable season. My column👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/722...

𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗬 𝗣𝗢𝗗! 🚨 @mattdaviesadams.bsky.social, @lukebosher.bsky.social, @liamtwomey.bsky.social, @reallycerys.bsky.social AND @sjohnsonsport.bsky.social all aboard for immediate reaction to Liam Rosenior's departure. Was it inevitable? What next? Who'd take on this 'project'? #CFC pod.fo/e/4046f3

Liam Rosenior gone. An utterly predictable end for a smart but raw coach who had no basis to command authority at a club like Chelsea. Maresca's departure wasn't in the plan, but how could the hierarchy not have foreseen how this would play out? www.nytimes.com/athletic/721...

𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗜𝗦𝗔𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦 𝗣𝗢𝗗! 🚨 @mattdaviesadams.bsky.social, @reallycerys.bsky.social & @liamtwomey.bsky.social on... 😳 Most unacceptable bit at Brighton? 🧰 Have the players downed tools? 🏆 Will Rosenior be in charge v Leeds? 💰 BlueCo maths w/ @cweatherspoon.bsky.social #CFC pod.fo/e/4042e5

A piece from Brighton on the unserious vibe around Chelsea right now - from the weird Caicedo contract ceremony to Cucurella's barber, culminating in last night's shambolic performance and Rosenior's desperate criticism. Something's got to give 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/721...

A new low? Chelsea’s collapse continues, handed a 3-0 defeat by Brighton… Where do they go from here? @mattdaviesadams.bsky.social, @liamtwomey.bsky.social & @reallycerys.bsky.social on the post mortem tomorrow… plus @cweatherspoon.bsky.social on the financial fun 🤯 Strap yourselves in! #CFC

Tosin and Garnacho account for 230 of the 289 total Premier League appearances on Chelsea’s bench tonight

🚨MONDAY POD!🚨 Join @acjimbo.bsky.social, @danielstorey85.bsky.social, @tomwfootball.bsky.social & @liamtwomey.bsky.social after an epic weekend: 🏆Who wins the title from here? 🪄Magic Morgan with @mattdaviesadams.bsky.social 🥳Simons over-celebrating? 📉Chelsea getting worse pod.fo/e/401da8

Nervous?🫣 @acjimbo.bsky.social, @danielstorey85.bsky.social, @tomwfootball.bsky.social & @liamtwomey.bsky.social will be LIVE on YouTube after all the action🫡 🏆City v Arsenal! 🥊Merseyside Derby! 💔Spurs still can't win ❌Chelsea still can't score Thoughts/questions?✍️ youtube.com/live/GPjPpj0...

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear… @mattdaviesadams.bsky.social, @sjohnsonsport.bsky.social & @lukebosher.bsky.social hashing out the latest defeat on Monday’s pod - and looking ahead to the visit to Brighton on Tuesday 🫣 What’s your main takeaway from tonight’s game? #CFC

Not exactly a revenge game from Garnacho, this

Nothing screams ‘Chelsea can’t have nice things’ more than Estevao tearing his hamstring as he runs through on goal

Joao Pedro’s injury has created a very big opportunity for Liam Delap against the club who thought they were signing him last summer. Can quieten a lot of critics if he takes it

Back in 2023, a phone call from Fernandez helped persuade Caicedo to join Chelsea over Liverpool. Three years on, Caicedo’s place at the heart of BlueCo’s project looks far more assured. 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/720...

Behdad Eghbali spoke at CAA's World Congress of Sports conference. Here's what he had to say on Maresca, Rosenior, learning from mistakes, Chelsea's shifting recruitment focus, and his message to supporters 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/720...

𝗣𝗥𝗘 𝗠𝗨𝗙𝗖 𝗣𝗢𝗗! 🚨 @mattdaviesadams.bsky.social, @reallycerys.bsky.social & @liamtwomey.bsky.social talking... 🔴 Man United in town 📈 Must win? Must not lose?! 🤔 Enzo back? And with the armband? 🤨 Iraola on their radar? 📢 Planned protests #CFC pod.fo/e/3ffb35

I can’t believe there are people on this Earth who watched Arsenal 0-0 Sporting

Chelsea are backing Liam Rosenior. Most outside the club are not. What are the reasons for concern, and are there reasons not to worry? Piece with @sjohnsonsport.bsky.social and @reallycerys.bsky.social. 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/719...

Andoni Iraola has worked wonders at Bournemouth. He should and will immediately become one of the most attractive names in the summer coaching market

RIP Colin Hutchinson, Chelsea's original sporting director (though that was never his job title). He did remarkable work building Chelsea's first truly international team, and I'll always be grateful to him for talking to me for this piece www.nytimes.com/athletic/121...

Man City are now 13 games unbeaten against Chelsea since Porto. Arsenal haven’t lost to them in the last 11 meetings. In the fourth season of this BlueCo project, Chelsea too often fail to beat or even compete against the best. 👇 www.nytimes.com/athletic/719...

13 fouls vs 10 shot attempts in that first half...