Football pundits are often made to eat their words after events on the pitch and the likes of Jamie Carragher, Gary Neville and Alan Hansen have been caught out in the past.
With their views reported widely and dissected on social media, our leading pundits have rarely been allowed to forget it when their judgements have proven to be incorrect.
We’ve identified nine occasions where pundits have been made to eat their words after their initial judgements proved off-target.
Lisandro Martinez
After joining Manchester United last summer, Martinez was the subject of doubt from Jamie Carragher after his first two appearances ended in humbling defeats.
‘[5ft 9in] that’s small,’ Carragher told Sky Sports. “That’s small for any player on the pitch in some ways now, really.
“You think how big and powerful players are. I haven’t seen that much of him, but he must have a really good spring to play centre-back in any league.
“When you think of how that could affect Man Utd set piece-wise, if one of your centre-backs is really small, you’re relying so much on the other centre-back to deal with things aerially coming into the box, so I think that could be a problem.”
But, after six months of stunning performances from the Argentina international, Carragher has finally admitted his initial judgement was wide of the mark.
“I think he’s been brilliant,” he said on Sky’s Overlap programme. “To be that small and play centre-back, you obviously have to be a special player, a good player.
“Now, I didn’t think someone of that size could cope in the Premier League. But he has coped, and he’s been brilliant.” Fair play.
🗣️ “I’m convinced this can’t work!”
Jamie Carragher is convinced Lisandro Martínez can’t play in a back four at Manchester United. pic.twitter.com/k3RmPhYQas
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 15, 2022
Casemiro
Eyebrows were raised when Manchester United paid £60million for 30-year-old Casemiro last summer, but the former Real Madrid midfielder soon silenced the doubters after transforming the United midfield.
“I thought Casemiro was a panic signing at the time,” said Chris Sutton after January’s Manchester derby. “I will hold my hands up – he has been brilliant.”
Lionel Messi
“Messi the other night – he was walking around the pitch,” Gary Neville said during the group stages of the 2022 World Cup. “I said at half-time ‘people don’t fear him anymore’. They don’t!…
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