2021 must go down as one of the most successful years in Brighton history

As the nation sees in the New Year – in whatever Covid-safe way individuals feel is “cautious” after downing six or seven pints – Brighton & Hove Albion sit 10th in the Premier League.

Victory over Brentford and a point at Chelsea were a positive way to round off a December that threatened to disappoint – a month otherwise dominated by a run of 12 games without a win, an Amex clearly half full on Boxing Day, and a club still smarting from widely reported booing at the end of another home defeat.

Yet 2021 has to go down as one of the most successful years in the club’s history. We end it in that lofty top 10 position, having at one point been just a win away from topping the world’s biggest domestic league.

Head to head against the best, we have more than held our own. 2021 has seen us beat and hold Liverpool, defeat Manchester City, Spurs and Leicester, and draw with Arsenal.

We are roughly three points and six places ahead of the same point last season (approximate given the postponements), with a game in hand on many around us. Neal Maupay sits alongside Raheem Sterling and Cristiano Ronaldo in the goal scorers table.

Enock Mwepu and Marc Cucurella have been inspired additions to the squad, with “The Computer” scoring a worldie in the 2-2 draw at Anfield and an equally brilliant assist for Leandro Trossard’s opener against Brentford in the final home game of 2021.

Trossard’s contribution, most memorably perhaps in the win against Man City, has been immense, improving month by month.

Yves Bissouma is still a Brighton and Hove Albion player, something few would have predicted prior to last January’s transfer window. The sale of Ben White for a remarkable £50 million, after just a year in an Albion shirt, was fantastic business.

Robert Sánchez has been a revelation since taking the goalkeepers shirt from Maty Ryan at the start of the year. The two world-class saves against Brentford have been just the latest of many points-preserving stops that other more experienced keepers would have let in.

Jakub Moder and Steven Alzate could be the breakthrough players of 2022, and the January transfer window lies ahead.

Our squad is already arguably stronger than it’s ever been, the striker issue aside. Adam Webster, Lewis Dunk, Adam Lallana, Danny Welbeck, Joel Veltman, Pascal Gross and others are all capable of real quality alongside those mentioned above.

Shane Duffy has been immense on his return from Celtic, perhaps the most welcome development of the second half of 2021 for Albion fans for whom the big Irishman is held in huge affection.

Our Under 23s side have many players who can clearly step in when injuries, suspensions and Covid-19 have required, and there is no doubt that there are more future first team stars or Ben White level sales in that squad. Taylor Richards and Haydon Roberts are on the cusp of the starting XI, many others are real prospects.

Above all, Graham Potter has forged a reputation as one of the most respected coaches in the Premier League, marked by the fact he has been linked with the dozen or more managerial vacancies that have opened in the EPL this calendar year. We are lucky he is sticking with us.

Brighton cannot compete financially with Man City or Liverpool at the top, or indeed Newcastle United at the bottom. We are still going to suffer from the “plays well, not clinical enough in front of goal” charge from fans and pundits alike.

We could still drop back into the familiar 15th, 16th, 17th places as the second half of the season progresses. I have been as frustrated as anyone at dominant performances that have ended in draws or defeats.

Yet let’s take a moment to look at the positives. A fifth consecutive season in the top flight. A realistic prospect of a top 10 finish for the first time in our history. An outside chance, if luck goes our way, of even Europa League qualification.

Evidence in abundance, whatever the final results, that we can play very good, very entertaining, top-level football.

Here’s to the New Year and new heights for the Seagulls in 2022.

Warren Morgan @WarrenBHAFC