Well, that was a fun end to 2022 wasn't it? Lionel Messi finally won the World Cup, Cristiano Ronaldo caused more drama and Mikel Arteta put Arsenal in the driving seat for the Premier League title.
Indeed, it leaves us with much to look forward to in 2023. The Gunners are now front-runners to end Manchester City's two-year reign as top-flight champions, while Newcastle will look to shock the Big Six and earn a top-four spot.
It isn't just about the Premier League, though. There's plenty to look forward to in the League Cup, FA Cup, Football League and the Champions League, plus the Lionesses' bid for World Cup glory this summer.
Amid all that excitement, are there any surprises on the cards? Mirror Football writers give their predictions for the year ahead...
John Cross
My New Year predictions start with the obvious. Nottingham Forest will sign more players in January, surpassing the record total of 22 players they brought in last summer.
Norwich City’s sporting director Stuart Webber will climb another mountain while insisting he can sign players and appoint a new manager from the summit.
Antonio Conte’s rants will become increasingly angry and more frequent as Tottenham make a succession of loan signings that he doesn’t want.
Then the real stuff… Manchester City finally end their wait for Champions League success. Graham Potter finishes eighth - but Chelsea give him more time. Manchester United finish in the top four and win a trophy under Erik ten Hag.
David McDonnell
In 2023, expect the unexpected. So that means Arsenal going the distance in the title race (although I still expect Manchester City to pip them on the final day), with Newcastle and Manchester United making up the rest of the top four.
That means Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham all losing out on the top four and facing uncomfortable inquests as they reflect on the impact of missing out on the Champions League.
This year will also be the year when Erik ten Hag ends United's six-year wait for a trophy and continues his impressive revival of the fallen giants, while City can finally end their long wait to lift the Champions League trophy with the prolific Erling Haaland leading their attack.
Mike Walters
Arsenal are the new Leicester. Everyone thought their title challenge would tail off after a flying start, and now we've got to take them seriously before it's too late - the Gunners have only dropped five points all season, so why should they lose a seven-point lead?
Manchester City will win the Champions League. In a season of holy grails, with Lionel Messi finally lifting the World Cup, Pep Guardiola will land the big fish with City - especially if referees in Europe are as lenient as the one who bottled sending off Erling Haaland for that hideous tackle against Everton over the weekend.
Marcus Rashford will get an alarm clock for his birthday. Declan Rice will sign for Chelsea, and he won't score enough goals for them, either.
Watford will make it through to the end of the season without another change of head coach. No, seriously. And Cristiano Ronaldo will win the Treble for his new club in Saudi Arabia before realising nobody beyond the deserts actually cares.
Simon Bird
Newcastle will end their 67 year domestic trophy drought. Now there’s a wild prediction. It may come as early as March in the Carabao Cup. A blip in the league will be masked by a charge to Wembley carried by an ever more fervent wave of Geordie optimism and Eddie Howe genius.
Arsenal will win the league and transition club Chelsea will finish seventh, and end up in the Europa Conference League, then ditch their “long term,” new era boss Graham Potter.
Liverpool will qualify for the top four and win the FA Cup, as a stuttering start to the campaign is corrected, and Spurs will miss out.
The established top six will whinge and moan about Newcastle having money to spend, while spending the same amount themselves, if not more. If Newcastle reach the Champions League they will try to sign Declan Rice.
Mark Jones
Arsenal will take it all the way
For the first time since Man City and Liverpool's epic 2018-19 title battle began the pair's series of face-offs, we are seeing another team going at a rate of 95+ points in the Premier League.
The efforts of both seem to have made such a feat seem easy, but it isn't. While comparisons with Leicester don't seem apt either, as this is relentless strength as opposed to the Foxes' brilliant opportunism.
Arsenal's 14 wins from 16 games this season is up there with any run we've seen in the last five years, and they won't go quietly. City will still show the course and distance form to pip them, but only just. It will be a fight to the finish.
Newcastle to fight Man Utd for fourth
Newcastle are starting to find out the perils of being taken seriously. Following their brilliant start to the campaign the Magpies will come up against sides who sit back and defend deep, refusing to give them the space to make hay.
Breaking that down - something Eddie Howe has never really faced - will be key to their top four efforts, but they do look ready to make a good go of it.
Liverpool's reset and gradual improvement will be enough for a comfortable third place, and then it'll come down to Newcastle's rapid progress vs Erik ten Hag's Manchester United evolution for fourth. The Dutchman will just edge it.
Everton pay the price for board chaos
The superb support from Everton's fans was what helped the Blues stay up last season, but unfortunately for them they can't get on the pitch. Well, they're not supposed to anyway.
It was the quality of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin which helped make the difference at crucial times for Frank Lampard, but with the Brazilian gone and the Englishman struggling for fitness you really do wonder where the quality will come from.
Years of mismanagement and reckless spending at board level have created a recipe for disaster that nearly saw Everton cooked last season, but this time around they might just find it a struggle to find three worse teams than them. Southampton and Bournemouth probably are, but Nottingham Forest, Wolves and West Ham have the fight and the quality to survive.
Tom Victor
The 2022-23 season has already been big on narrative, with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe facing off in a mid-season World Cup final.
With that in mind, I’m tipping arguably the two biggest teams without a Champions League trophy under their belt to face off in Istanbul in May.
Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain have both come close to ending their wait, with PSG narrowly beaten in the 2020 final and Pep Guardiola’s side losing by an identical 1-0 scoreline the following year.
My prediction is that 2023 will be the year one of the big-hitters no longer has that gap in their trophy cabinet, even if that means even more pain for the losing finalists.
Sam Meade
Potter doesn't see out the year
Todd Boehly may have spoken about a long-term vision but if Chelsea miss out on the Champions League, which they could, revenue streams will be down and the new hierarchy will have to take a serious look at things. You get the impression they're still learning how different American sports are from those elsewhere. Should a big name become available, don't be surprised if Boehly uses one defeat to sack Graham Potter, even if he does back the manager in the summer.
Rice leaves West Ham
A move that is expected to happen at some point, but this season's poor form may accelerate it. Declan Rice's stock has risen year on year and West Ham have waved off transfer advances. However, with his contract winding down, there may be an acceptance that they can still get in and around £100m for him. Jude Bellingham will command the summer market, but whoever misses him may target his England colleague - and that won't be a short list.
Haaland's record year
Maybe not a bold prediction this one, but Mohamed Salah's record for goals in a 38-game season will go. The Egyptian made quite the impact in his debut year of 2017/18, but it is nothing like the season Haaland is experiencing on the blue half of Manchester. He's made it past 20 goals before the halfway point and his appetite in the final third is phenomenal.
Daniel Orme
Everton were fortunate to avoid dropping into the Championship this time last year but could slip through the trap door this time around. Frank Lampard’s men have only won three out of their opening 17 matches this term and are just one point clear of the drop zone.
The Toffees’ defence hasn’t been too bad this season but their lack of goals could cost them severely. Only West Ham, Forest and Wolves have scored fewer than the Merseyside outfit. Huge funds are not exactly available for them to bolster their ranks all too much on that front in January so it could be a concerning few months for Everton - a period that could end in disaster.
Daniel Blackham
Newcastle to make Champions League - and sack Howe
Newcastle United are doing everything right at the moment, and Eddie Howe has done a tremendous job at St James' Park. However, there's a point where every club gets it wrong. I can see Newcastle making top four and then deciding they've got to celebrate by bringing in a big-name manager... Jose Mourinho or Thomas Tuchel, perhaps.
Conte stays at Tottenham
It almost seems like a hot take at the moment to predict Conte will stay at Tottenham into 2024. He's under contract until the end of the season and things aren't going too well at the moment, but a nice little run towards the end of the season and a promise of funds in the summer might tempt him to sign a new one-year deal.
Liverpool win Champions League - and finish 7th
Liverpool will win the Champions League for the seventh time in their history - and finish seventh in the Premier League in the process. The addition of Cody Gakpo will give them an added boost going forward and help them take on the big-hitters in Europe, but not signing a central midfielder will mean they struggle in the so-called easier games against the likes of Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Wolves.
