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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May 2024
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