✋ Five things to look forward to in 2025.

It's been another spectacular year of football, with plenty of headlines, excitement, and storytelling.

But what is ahead for the following 12 months? Here are five things to be enthusiastic about.

The 'new' Champions League reaches its conclusion.

UEFA's decision to reorganize the Champions League for the 2024/25 season was viewed with some suspicion, but it has remained important during the league phase.

Because of the difficult initial format, few people are certain of their standings at this point, but the enthusiasm will undoubtedly increase in the coming year. Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain are among the major names at danger of losing out as they compete for place in the league's final stages.

Following that, we'll have an entirely new play-off round before the conventional last 16. There's a lot to be thrilled about.

Gripping title races throughout Europe

Although England and France have clear frontrunners this season, the other of Europe's premier leagues are more evenly matched.

Bayern Munich's bid to recover the Bundesliga has started brilliantly, but defending champions Bayer Leverkusen are only four points behind and closing the gap.

In La Liga, the top four teams are separated by only five points. Atletico Madrid currently leads, with Real Madrid in second place after Barcelona, the early pacesetters, faltered recently.

Over in Italy, things are even tighter. Atalanta, Napoli, and Inter Milan are only a point apart, with Lazio, Fiorentina, and Juventus not far behind, making things even more fascinating. In the past five seasons, four different Scudetto winners have emerged. Can leaders Atalanta, who have never won the title before, add to that list this season?

FIFA reintroduced the Club World Cup.

As hard as FIFA has tried, the Club World Cup has not received the attention it deserves. The European champions have won each of the previous 11 editions, and the competition is frequently a parade for UEFA's entrant. FIFA reintroduced the Club World Cup to add some excitement.

An extended format with 32 teams will take place in the summer, providing a fresh spectacle in the absence of an international event.

The new format will feature 12 European teams, six from South America, four from Asia, four from Africa, four from North, Central America, and the Caribbean, one from Oceania, and one from the host country (the United States).

Thomas Tuchel takes over England.

For the third time, England has hired a foreign coach in search of illusive success.

Gareth Southgate came close to ending England's 59-year drought for a major tournament, but he left after the team was eliminated from Euro 2024. Thomas Tuchel has arrived, becoming the first German to lead the Three Lions. Tuchel, who has a proven track record of success at club level, is tasked with turning England's harvest of talent into a tournament-winning team.

Whatever happens, it will make for compelling entertainment.

More Angeball.

In the words of Forrest Gump, watching Tottenham is like opening a box of chocolates; you never know what you'll receive.

Ange Postecoglou is under pressure at Spurs right now because his team is consistently unreliable. It's a source of great frustration for Spurs fans, but it's an interesting watch for neutrals.

Perhaps no team in Europe right now oscillates between the sublime and the absurd as often as the North Londoners, whose unpredictable nature adds to the season's narrative. No manager in Premier League history has presided over games with a higher average amount of goals than the Australian, with Tottenham's league matchups in 2024/25 averaging 3.6 per game.

Are you not amused?

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