In a recent discussion of Ledley King’s future with Spurs (which you can find here) I earmarked Michael Dawson as the man most likely to lead Tottenham’s defence in years to come. It wasn’t so long ago that Dawson was being compared to the likes of Rio Ferdinand and John Terry and was widely considered to be England’s hope for the future once the two aforementioned players had lost their youth.
Nowadays, there’s a certain degree of apathy surrounding Dawson. Yes, he could well fulfil his potential but many also seem to believe that he’s just not as good as we were first led to believe. It’s clear to me that Dawson’s best performances come alongside the level-headed King, but given the way that Ledley attracts injuries, the two rarely play alongside each other.
Without King’s calming influence, Dawson can sometimes be the perpetrator of unnecessary fouls and penalties. What’s more, questions still surround his distribution, which could do with some work.
Whilst Dawson isn’t the fastest player, you can be a great defender without having speed on your side. I’d argue that he has good enough positional awareness to make up for his shortcomings in the pace department. With time he’ll also earn a certain degree of calmness and quality when he’s in possession of the ball. That will see an end to the mistakes he still makes from time to time.
It’s a fact that Spurs kept 14 clean sheets this season: 12 with Dawson in the side and only 2 without him. That should go some way towards highlighting just how important he is for this Tottenham side. Whilst I’d agree that at the moment he performs better with a leader beside him, with time and experience, it’s my hope that he’ll eventually evolve into a leader himself and take Spurs onwards towards bigger and better things.
He always gives centre-forwards a tough game, he’s great in the air and he’s always in the right place at the right time. He’s tough, determined and combative. He doesn’t duck out of a battle. It’s these qualities that make him such a valuable asset to Tottenham and one that’s worth holding onto and nurturing.
With Gallas’ future always up for questioning and Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate’s match fitness always a doubt, Spurs would do well to develop an understanding between Michael Dawson and Younes Kaboul as soon as possible. If Tottenham want to win silverware in the near future, I’d argue that sorting out the pecking order at the back is damn near essential.
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