BRRRR, Reds and Blues! We hope those of you enduring this Midwest cold blast are managing to stay warm and safe. England is also suffering at the hands of the Snow Miser. Let’s see how our teams are handling it.

It’s safe to say that Manchester United are struggling to find themselves. While they are able to get up for the big rival matches, they continue to have problems with teams they should historically be beating. But recent history is full of inconsistency and frustration, and that trend continues. Despite putting in a terrific performance and gutsy display to endure with 10 men for over and hour to ultimately defeat Arsenal on penalties, the other version of United showed up against Southampton. They were second best for 80 minutes before Amad stepped up to save their blushes. A twelve-minute hat trick overshadowed a very worrying performance. And that worrying came to further fruition against B&H, with a reversal of the same 3-1 scoreline against the Saints. Once again outplayed for the majority of the match on home soil, United very much look like a team in crisis. And Amorim has acknowledged as much. He will hope that a change of competition can shake their malaise, as they face Rangers in the Europa on Thursday. Fulham’s recent good form will be a concern on Sunday before another trip to Europe to follow. Surely they must begin to build some momentum. But in which direction?

Chelsea has a similar if not quite so dire issue of consistency themselves. Though they handily dispatched Morecambe in the FA Cup, they required some late heroics from their captain to gain a point against Bournemouth. A 3-1 scoreline over Wolves was perhaps somewhat flattering given the latter’s commitment. So it’s on to Saturday and a trip to Manchester City who appear to be regaining their early-season dominance. Chelsea will need a full 90 display to take any points, and that is something they have struggled with this season. A confident display against City would bode well as they head into February and a quick succession of matches against teams with similar ambitions as their own.

The USMNT’s mostly domestic-based squad showed good commitment and desire in their 3-1 win over Venezuela. They will hope to continue to impress their new boss this evening against Costa Rica. While many fans scratch their heads at the purpose of the off-cycle friendlies, it does provide an opportunity to younger players trying to muscle their way into the senior squad.

Emma has called in a mixed group for the January camp in preparation for the SheBelieves Cup in February. Their first match is Feb 20 against Colombia.

We’ll be hoping not to drop the ball at the feet of an attacker, so join us live from Chatham Tap Fishers at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, follow along 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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