Smashed it: F365’s top ten predictions for 2021 revisited

This was eerily good from that man Matt Stead, who will be writing his 2022 predictions in due course. Honestly, this is so much better than the pre-season predictions.

We’re just going to fly through them and check for accuracy…

10) Crystal Palace and Roy Hodgson to finally part  ✔
Yes, yes, yes. And everybody seems pretty happy.

9) Burnley collapse after Sean Dyche leaves x
He didn’t go and they are pretty much collapsing anyway.

8) Sam Allardyce to suffer his first Premier League relegation  ✔
Too right. The 66-year-old really had bitten off more than he can furiously chew with West Brom. Anyone else kind of forgotten that whole episode even happened?

7) Manchester City win the Champions League x
No, but they got damned close. ‘Two goals conceded in their last ten games is imperious, consistent and able to mask profligacy at the other end providing one chance is taken.’ Ah, but we didn’t account for Pep absolutely Pepping the sh*t out of the final.

6) Bruno Fernandes to win Manchester United’s first PFA POTY in a decade x
He was nominated but 11 goals in the first half of the season became seven goals in the second half as a title challenge became a 12-point gap to champions Manchester City by the end of the season. The player of 2020 was nowhere near the top ten of 2021.

5) Steven Gerrard to get a Premier League job ✔
Smashed it.

4) Chelsea will lose patience with Frank Lampard ✔
Double smashed it. ‘Few people would say Lampard is doing an actively bad job but the relevant argument is whether anyone else could do a better one.’ They really, really could.

3) The reinforced Champions League glass ceiling to be smashed x
Oh Steady, you old romantic. But no, the four clubs who qualified for the Champions League were exactly the four teams you would expect, with Manchester City becoming machine-like in 2021 and Chelsea losing patience with Lampard just in time to rescue this season. And Leicester 21/22 is what happens when you bang your head against a glass ceiling too many times.

2) England win Euro 2020 x
Technically it’s a x but predicting that in early January was brave and inspired.

1) The season ends early x
It didn’t. Which probably shows you why the Premier League are adamant there will be no firebreak now. They have been here before and battled on through.