A strange new sequence in the Premier League season will begin on Boxing Day, as the top flight returns after a month-long pause.
Domestic action was put on hold due to the Qatar World Cup, and there is no rest for the stars of that tournament, as the Premier League restarts on Monday 26 December – just a few days after we saw Carabao Cup action play out.
Arsenal have a five-point lead atop the table, with defending champions Manchester City gunning for the Gunners, while Newcastle are flying high in third.
Elsewhere, West Ham and Everton are struggling stalwarts of the division.
But what next? Below, we look at what we want to happen, more so than what we think will happen...
Luke Baker, sports editor
Honestly, at this point I’ve got post-World Cup football fatigue and I’m not sure I can muster up the requisite enthusiasm to try and enjoy Everton attempting to break down a stubborn Wolves etc. I’m sure by the time we’ve reached the business end of the season, I’ll have recovered so I’d like to see a genuine title race between Arsenal and Man City (15 February and 26 April are when they square off, by the way) that gently simmers away for months and reaches a crescendo on the final day. They were the architects of the two greatest finishes to a league season that English top-flight football has seen (Michael Thomas in 1989 and “Agueeeerooooooo” in 2012), so let’s have them go head to head and create another iconic moment. Failing that, is Charlton Athletic being promoted through two divisions at once to finally return to the Premier League for the first time in 15 years too much to ask? Yes. Yes, it is.
Alex Pattle, sports reporter
Now that Lionel Scaloni has hurled the metaphorical monkey off the metaphorical back of the Argentine national team, it’s time for him to deal with his own. The former West Ham loanee should do the honourable thing and return to the east London club, replacing David Moyes and giving his all to guide the Hammers to FA Cup glory. Fittingly, this coming May will mark 17 years since Scaloni started at right back for West Ham in their FA Cup final defeat by Liverpool; I can’t think of a better time for the 44-year-old to overwrite what is surely the greatest disappointment of his footballing career.
Kieran Jackson, sports reporter
The lovely on-the-eyes play at the World Cup was a joy to watch – most of the time – but as opposed to the heat of the desert, give me pouring rain and challenges flying in amidst the freezing cold any day of the week. Good old-fashioned English football. Also, law and order restored to the dugout: if your team scores, the substitutes should not be running across the pitch to celebrate a 23rd-minute opener. None of that over-the-top nonsense we saw in Qatar.
Karl Matchett, sports reporter
I would like to see clubs not be incredibly weird, which means two things: not sacking managers in the next two weeks, having had a month to do so with absolutely no difference made, and also not sacking managers with four days to go of the transfer window. Also, 14 minutes of first-half injury time, just for goal kicks and corners.
