Surprise Packages and Disappointing Teams of
2021
by Alex Dudley
A
s 2021 winds to a close, it’s always good to look back at some of the teams’ performances that have caught the imagination around the Premier League. Meanwhile, others are likely to be hugely disappointed with their performances over the calendar year, and will be hoping that the start of a new year can bring with it new fortune. For United, it has been a largely positive year, with steps taken in the right direction, but which sets of fans from opposing teams will be either happy or disappointed with their 2021 campaigns? West Ham United When it comes to the surprise packages of 2021, you would be hard-pressed to look anywhere else than West Ham United. The job that David Moyes has done at the club since taking over in December 2019 deserves the utmost respect. The former United boss took
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over the club as they were hovering above the relegation places, but over the last two years, he has made them a force to be reckoned with both at home and abroad. Last season’s sixthplace finish was an incredible performance from the Hammers, but they were by no means there through luck. That has been evident once again through the early months of the 2021-22 season, as West Ham have continued to excel. Players such as Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek have given a strong foundation to build on, while the forward players of Michail Antonio, Pablo Fornals and Jarred Bowen have been able to deliver the goods at the opposite end of the pitch. Only Manchester City and Chelsea have picked up more Premier League points than the Hammers in 2021, and they look to have an excellent chance of finishing the season in a European place once again; hopefully, not at the expense of United.
Crystal Palace I will be the first to admit that I was categorically wrong about Crystal Palace at the start of this
