A microscopic look at the Daggers squad, one area of the pitch at a time, ahead of the steadily-approaching new campaign. First up: The defence & Wing backs.Blueprints for modern footballing success, especially over the course of a demanding and rigourous campaign, largely depend upon a robust defence that is incredibly tough to penetrate. A quick glance at the past few promotion winners at this level reveals a catalogue of sides that were loaded with adequate attacking firepower yet equally capable of grinding out ugly yet fundamentally critical 1-0 wins.
The natural question therefore pertains to whether Daggers' backline is capable of providing enough of a backbone to withstand the pressure of a potential promotion challenge, while simultaneously enabling the forward players to flourish further up the pitch. While the current personnel in our defence don't generate overwhelming confidence amongst the fanbase in this regard, nor was it an area that required drastic surgery over the summer, hence only the solitary signing (Sam Ling). McMahon is almost guaranteed to deploy a five-man system which incorporates three centre-halves and a pair of wing-backs. The CB trio will likely consist of Elliott Johnson, Will Wright plus one of Kenny Clark, Callum Reynolds and Joey Jones, listed in order of likelihood. Sam Ling is expected to fill the right-wing back position, while the same role on the opposite flank could be shared between Myles Weston and George Saunders. Our defence last year was competent yet unspectacular; clean sheets were quite a rarity but so were occasions in which we conceded three or more in a game. Our concession of 48 goals during 2020/21 was the ninth-lowest in the division, only a few higher than the tally that would be associated with a play-off side. However, that statistic does have an asterisk besides it since the removal of relegation made the division a lot weaker than it will be now. We'd have also conceded more was it not for the brilliance of Elliot Justham, who always provides safe hands between the sticks. Widespread concerns remain over the absence of a quality imposing centre-half and, despite both producing a string of faultless displays at the back end of the previous campaign, neither Kenny Clark nor Callum Reynolds instil much faith that they can reach that standard consistently. Their tendency to give away clumsy penalties is a worrying one, but we'll have to hope it doesn't resurface this time around, especially as no further defensive arrivals seem forthcoming. Elliott Johnson and Will Wright are two players who weren't great at the start of last season, but suddenly transformed into brilliant defenders. The latter in particular has been superb and richly deserves his new contract extension. His free-kick pedigree and assist potential (an impressive nine last year) means he can be an asset at both ends of the pitch, offering another outlet of creativity if the usual sources aren't firing on all cylinders. Moving onto the wing-backs, the job description of which stipulates they are influential in both a defensive and offensive capacity. Sam Ling is suited to that role and we know from his previous stint at the club just how effective his marauding runs can be. He has an excellent cross on him, similar to George Saunders whose inch-perfect deliveries drew significant praise in the pre-season friendlies. Another option, who can play on either side, is Myles Weston. A key player for us last season, his experience and powerful running can give defenders a torrid afternoon as many from last season would testify. There has been an over-dependency on his wide play in the past, but we seem a more rounded team now and have other players who can create space for him to exploit. I expect us to be impressive in both the centre half and wing-back department, but whether we're quite impressive enough remains to be seen.
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daryl mcmahon has repeatedly reiterated the familiar manager's stance of pre-season results being wholly insignificant, but the recent friendlies have nonetheless offered indications pertaining to systems and patterns of play which may provide an insight into his mindset as the all-important clash at Stockport edges steadily closer.The cancellation of our initially-scheduled game at East Thurrock this midweek, due to a purported rise in injuries throughout the squad, means our pre-season friendly programme has officially drawn to a close unless any further fixtures are hastily arranged. Six of the seven games resulted in victories, the majority of them by a comprehensive margin as we struck 31 goals in total, albeit against inferior opposition. McMahon increased the workload on his players incrementally, managing their minutes carefully across the games. Harry Phipps and Dean Rance were the only members of the squad not to see any action, while Kenny Clark was also absent for the most part. As is commonplace every summer, a number of trialists were given the opportunity to impress, and a couple of those are expected to join in the coming weeks to supplement the existing core. Performances have been encouraging and the players look sharp, with the two new signings seemingly integrating into the team seamlessly. I wrote recently about McMahon's less-is-more strategy, which signifies a change in direction from our previous tactic of full-scale rebuilds, and hopefully it means we'll hit the ground running without the usual gelling, bedding-in period. With the preparation for our daunting opening-day assignment at Stockport now intensifying, I've profiled some interesting take-aways from our pre-season friendly programme. MINUTES BREAKDOWN
1) Weak opposition This is not only a point in itself, but also a potential caveat to some of the others. While we were undoubtedly impressive throughout pre-season, the standard of opposition bore little resemblance to what we will be pitted against from August 21st onwards, a fact that contextualises some of the resounding victories we recorded. The differing time-frames of the respective campaigns meant we were unable to test our credentials against any Football League sides as we have in years gone by, and the teams we did play weren't necessarily good enough to expose our weaknesses like a side from our own division could. 2) Five-at the back preferred, and a midfield role for Vilhete? McMahon has implemented a 5-3-2 formation for the majority of his time at the club, and recent friendlies indicate that it remains a preference ahead of the new season. Johnson and Wright look set to start in a three, either side of Clark or Reynolds - most likely the latter. It would also be reasonable to assume that Sam Ling will be the primary right-wing back option, while the same role on the opposite flank will be shared between Saunders and Weston. Interestingly, this facilitates a move back into midfield for Mauro Vilhete, who flourished in a wider position last season but revealed his desire to play in the centre of the pitch, a wish that appears to have been granted judging by the pre-season games. 3) An abundance of attacking potential Comparisons between this pre-season and the last, albeit tenuous and underpinned by several contributing factors, supports the widely-shared belief that we're a better attacking team these days. For example, last year we defeated Hornchurch 2-1 and Great Wakering 3-1 - this time it was 3-0 and 10-0 respectively. Besides pre-season results, which admittedly have little validity, our general build-up play looks better and that's something which can translate into competitive fixtures. Most players have looked energetic, fresh and raring to go - a promising omen but whether that manifests into a good start remains to be seen. PRE-SEASON STATISTICS
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