With 2023 having finally arrived and plenty of fresh hope brewing, here is a look at four burning football stories of the new year.
From unprecedented women’s quadruple to a resurgent force in men’s football and the Women’s World Cup on the horizon, there is plenty to look forward to across both sides of English Football this year with many different stories already burning away.
We have therefore taken a look at the four biggest stories currently brewing ahead of what could be a thrilling 2023 in the world of English Football.
Can Arsenal End 19 Years of Premier League Hurt?
Having last won the Premier League title in 2004, Arsenal now have their best chance yet at ending 19 years of top-flight hurt as they currently sit seven points clear at the summit entering the new year.
With a solid blend of youth and experience coupled with energetic attacking football, it is hard to stop this Arsenal team who have lost just once in the league this season with individual players stepping up on various occasions.
Off-pitch, there is even a real positive energy around the team with fans no longer constantly on the players’ or club’s backs complaining about one thing or another, which underlines how well a job Mikel Arteta has done to transform his squad into serious title challengers.
It is also worth noting that Arteta has managed this despite Arsenal playing in UEFA Europa League, which has often meant Thursday-Sunday schedules of which many teams have struggled to strike a balance, underlining the squad depth and quality that this team has this season.
Fans also really should think about the prospect of a treble because Arsenal still have the opportunity to win Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League titles this season, which would be an incredible achievement for the Gunners after their many years of disappointment.
Newcastle Dream Big
Having enjoyed a stunning resurgence since their Saudi-led takeover in October 2021, Newcastle now are a team to watch out for across 2023 as they look to end 54 years without a trophy.
Currently on the longest unbeaten run in England’s top-flight and sat third in the Premier League, Newcastle now face a daunting task of trying to qualify for the Champions League with a squad not largely used to these dizzy heights.
Admittedly the Premier League title is still a huge possibility with a nine-point gap to leaders, Arsenal, but I do feel like top-four has to be their main aim for this season at least after their strong first-half of the campaign.
Add in the fact that the Magpies are still in the Carabao Cup plus FA Cup and there is plenty of positivity around St James’ Park, of which supporters deserve to soak up after years of just scraping by in relegation scraps under Mike Ashley.
January also provides the opportunity to bring in quality reinforcement which could well be crucial to lifting Newcastle’s game, as their rivals also look to freshen up their squad after Liverpool swooped for Cody Gakpo to help spearhead their top-four challenge.
Newcastle fans though can genuinely dream that their five-and-a-half decade wait for a trophy could potentially end by summer, yet this season has seen the Magpies establish themselves as on the rise even if they don’t have a trophy to show for their efforts.
Arsenal Women Target Quadruple
Whilst all eyes are on Arsenal’s men team, we shouldn’t forget about their women’s team who are chasing an unprecedented women’s quadruple, consisting of; Women’s Super League, FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Jonas Eidevall’s Gunners though have encountered various injuries and are without two key players in Vivianne Miedema and Beth Mead, who are both out injured for rest of this season yet still are right in the mix for four trophies.
Arsenal supporters therefore are set for a strong start to 2023 with as many as seven trophies at stake in total for their two senior teams, although it is worth noting that Chelsea Women are also chasing the women’s quadruple whilst only the FA Cup looks achievable for their men’s squad.
Quite simply put, all eyes within London will certainly be on Arsenal and Chelsea across both sides of the game throughout the next six months for different reasons, which promises plenty of drama and potential heartbreak.
Can England Rule The World?
Whisper it quietly but 2023 could well be the year that football finally comes home as England looks to finally clinch a maiden Women’s World Cup honour and end 57 years of hurt in FIFA’s biggest footballing competition across all senior England teams.
There is also plenty to be positive about heading into the tournament between 20 July – 20 August, with the Lionesses currently yet to lose under Sarina Wiegman, having gone unbeaten in 26 matches across all competitions with victories against top teams; Spain, Sweden, Germany, and USA.
Now if these Lionesses can stay unbeaten throughout the first half of 2023 then there is no reason why they can’t go Down Under with high confidence of achieving the title.
These Lionesses also now know how to win titles after clinching Arnold Clark Cup and 2022 UEFA Women’s Euros in 2022, albeit on home soil but the World Cup will bring a totally different challenge in Australia & New Zealand.
Wiegman also went close with Netherlands in the 2019 Women’s World Cup as the Dutch finished second to USA, which will offer players an additional motivation to go one step further and become World Champions for their manager who has the experience of late heartbreak.
No matter what happens, this year is surely England’s greatest chance at achieving the world’s biggest honour since 1966 so bring on the roar and football could well be home by the end of summer.
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