Happy New Year, Reds and Blues! We hope you all had a safe and enjoyable holiday season. The Festive Fixtures are winding down. How did our clubs close out the year and kickoff the new one?

“Chelsea’s December has gone about as well as any Blue could have hoped.” That’s what I wrote just a few weeks ago. But the mid-December form that had some folks talking up a title challenge has disappeared into the wintry mix that has overtaken England. A comfortable win over Irish side Shamrock Rovers in the Conference has been followed by 2 draws and 2 losses. The capitulation against Ipswich is most concerning (though their recent form indicates perhaps The Tractor Boys aren’t quite as bad as we all thought), but having led against Fulham and Palace before conceding late on to lose and draw, respectively, is indicative of fatigue both mentally and physically. Becoming and remaining a Top 4 side requires incredible focus, and that seems to have slipped for the Blues recently. 3 home fixtures in a row is a positive, but after Morecambe there is the unpredictability of the Cherries and Wolves. Enzo will hope to have taken maximum points before rocking up to Manchester City to round out January. Seasons – and trophies – are won and lost in the dark winter of England.

From the highs of the derby win to crashing down to Earth for the next 4 games in which they were thoroughly outplayed (and kept scoreless in 3 of them), most Reds were probably wondering just how many Liverpool might hang on them this time around. But while United are struggling with a new system and finding consistency, they are still able to get up for the big ones. Call them a “cup side” if you want, but if treating these games as the quasi-championships they have so long felt like, then maybe that’s the mindset to take. United looked a completely different side from the previous 4 games, and at times they appeared to take the fight directly to Liverpool. Clearly working to expose TAA, United put on a tactical masterclass and caused problems down the flank all day. Frankly, either side could have won it, with Harry getting one last half-chance at the death. But on current form, a point away at Anfield on the back of a full team performance is a good result. They face another stiff test away to Arsenal in the FA Cup this weekend before 3 straight at Old Trafford. None should be taken for granted. But if they can find a way to reproduce the effort, intensity, and tactical nous they’ve shown against their biggest historical rivals, it should bode well for upcoming results. Fingers crossed.

The USMNT will gather mid-January for off-cycle friendlies with Venezuela and Costa Rica in Florida, while the US women are off until February and the SheBelieves Cup. It’s likely doubtful that our biggest names for the men will be made available, but the current form of Captain America et al in Italy and across many other leagues show what we’re going to be looking forward to in upcoming competitive matches. For the women, Emma will look to build on the past year’s successes and new blood in the squad.

We’ll be explaining fouls and penalties to Ange and Mikel, respectively, 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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