WHZ View: Craig Dawson deserves plaudits – West Ham look revitalised since his introduction
West Ham are seven games unbeaten and it is little surprise that the current run has coincided with Craig Dawson’s introduction to the side.
The centre-back has looked at home alongside Angelo Ogbonna, with the pair conceding just three goals from those seven matches.
They have already built up an impressive understanding and appear as though they have been playing together for years.
David Moyes has transformed the defence since arriving a year ago and he appears to have picked up a bargain in Dawson.
Since December he has provided the Irons with a solid foundation, allowing players like Thomas Soucek and Declan Rice to venture forward.
It has also allowed us to move away from a back five and encouraged our attackers to be more expansive.
The 30-year-old has also contributed in that department with two headed goals, including what ended up being the winner against Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
While that is an added bonus, he is in the team to defend.
And he deserves plaudits for the improvement he has made to our backline, even making an immediate impact in his first game.
Dawson helped the team to a clean sheet against an impressive Southampton outfit in what was his first game in months.
He dealt with the pacy Danny Ings and Che Adams in that encounter, while against Burnley the defender proved he is accomplished physically, too.
What really sets him apart however is his positional sense.
Dawson always ensures he remains close to his defensive partner Ogbonna, ensuring the pair are able to close down space and shots together – as a team.
The image above against Burnley perfectly highlights that, with each centre-back covering a portion of the goal.
That forced Chris Wood to hit his shot wide, as the only alternative was placing the ball straight into Lukas Fabianski’s arms.
Similarly, against Stockport Dawson performed the dirty side of the game superbly, and showed great determination to notch the winner.
He was only able to achieve that thanks to his brilliant block inside his own six-yard box, however, which required a display of footballing intelligence.
Dawson reads the game superbly, that is partly why he has been able to make such an immediate impact, and is underlined by his average of six interceptions per game (WyScout).
The Burnley match also demonstrated that, with the image above an example of the Englishman cutting off space to the striker, forcing the playmaker to seek an alternate attacking avenue.
If Dawson maintains his current level of performance Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena will struggle to get back into the side.
Not many supporters would have predicted such an outcome at the start of the season, and Dawson deserves a lot of credit for that.
In other West Ham news, Exclusive: McAvennie raves about West Ham trio signed in 2020.