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January, the first month of the calendar year, is always a special one for football clubs. Every big club in Europe try their best to make a good first impression and give their all to keep fans in their corner.
After the holiday season, however, the task is easier said than done. Breaking out the shooting boots and dusting off the insatiable desire to win is not everyone’s cup of tea.
Today, we will take a look at a few European clubs that have passed the inaugural test with flying colors.
Here are five clubs in Europe that are firing on all cylinders right now:
#5 Liverpool
At one point, Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool side looked on course to take the Premier League title fight with Manchester City right down to the wire. The Reds lost a bit of momentum in December and eventually dropped to third place, behind Chelsea.
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In January, they have decided to put their best foot forward and regain some lost ground.
They started the year with a 2-2 draw with Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea away from home. Goals from Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah put them 2-0 up, but the Blues bounced back with two quick goals just before half-time.
The Reds then beat Shrewsbury 4-1 in the FA Cup before settling for a goalless stalemate against Arsenal in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final.
Their most recent Premier League appearance came against Brentford on Sunday. Klopp’s men registered a convincing 3-0 win that afternoon to move past Chelsea in the Premier League standings.
The Reds' results haven’t been ideal, of course, but we believe they have performed admirably without the services of Sadio Mane, Naby Keita and Mohammed Salah, who are away representing their nations at the AFCON.
#4 Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) put daylight between them and other Ligue 1 aspirants in 2021 itself. January 2022 has seen them march on in the same vein.
They started off with a Coupe de France clash against Vannes in the first week of January. Despite playing away from home, PSG easily outmuscled the lowly hosts and recorded a comfortable 0-4 win.
Next, they took on Lyon in Ligue 1 and had to work really hard to squeeze out a 1-1 draw. Last weekend, PSG bagged a comfortable 2-0 win over Brest, which saw them extend their lead at the summit to 11 points.
Although the results have been respectable, PSG have genuinely missed their maestro Lionel Messi. The Argentine hasn’t yet featured for the club this year due to contracting COVID-19 and might not return to action before February.
#3 Real Madrid
Since returning to the Bernabeu for his second stint in the summer of 2021, Carlo Ancelotti has turned Real Madrid’s fortunes around. Thanks to their efficient gameplay, Los Blancos have outperformed major title contenders and are currently sitting atop the La Liga table.
To top it off, Real Madrid have already bagged their first trophy of the season, winning the Spanish Supercopa in Saudi Arabia in January itself.
Los Merengues started their year with a disappointing defeat to Getafe away from home. However, over the next 15 days, they bounced back with four impressive wins across all competitions.
First, they beat Alcoyano 1-3 away from home in the Copa del Rey before hammering Valencia 4-1 at home in a La Liga clash. Real Madrid then outscored Barcelona 3-2 in the Spanish Supercopa semi-final. Finally, they beat Athletic Club 2-0 in the summit clash to win the domestic trophy.
Real Madrid will play two more games in January, both against Elche in the Copa del Rey and La Liga, respectively.
#2 Bayern Munich
Bundesliga holders Bayern Munich are on course for another fruitful campaign. Under Julian Nagelsmann, the Bavarians have played an excellent, coherent brand of football this season, scoring at will without compromising their defensive integrity.
Not only did they look like an unstoppable force in the Bundesliga, but they also won all six of their Champions League group stage games in 2021.
Surprisingly, they failed to get up to speed in their first Bundesliga match of 2022 and fell to a 1-2 home defeat against Borussia Monchengladbach. Of course, the German champions were not going to rest on their laurels after the embarrassing loss.
They bounced back with an impressive 0-4 win at Koln, proving that the result against Monchengladbach was only an anamoly.
#1 Manchester City
Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City are the most in-form team on the continent at the moment and for good reason. Pep Guardiola has turned the Citizens into a well-oiled, flawless winning machine, capable of destroying any side that stands in their way.
Manchester City have been in unfathomable form in England this January, winning all three games they have played so far.
First, they took on Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on the first day of the year. The champions came from behind to bag a 1-2 win in north London.
Next was the trip to Swindon Town in the third round of the FA Cup. City mercilessly hammered the hosts 1-4.
Manchester City's last Premier League encounter saw them host Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. Kevin De Bruyne scored a screamer in the second half to take City further ahead in the Premier League title race.
