Craig Dawson must be first name on the team-sheet for Fulham with Aleksandar Mitrovic threat, so David Moyes must leave him out against Anderlecht.
The Hammers earned what was a vital three points against Wolves on Saturday, and in my opinion, it was no coincidence that Craig Dawson made his first start of the season under David Moyes.
Dawson, who earns around £50k-a-week at the London Stadium (Salary Sport), has been magnificent for West Ham and Moyes over the past couple of years.
Daws ended up staying at West Ham though, and thank God that he did. We are so much more solid defensively when he plays.
David Moyes must have realised during our win over Wolves on Saturday that Craig Dawson has a key role to play in this West Ham team.
And as a result, the former West Brom and Watford man now has to be integral to the Scot’s plans going forward, for this season at least…
Craig Dawson first name on David Moyes team-sheet for Fulham
The strong, old school centre-back absolutely must start alongside Kurt Zouma for Sunday’s clash with Fulham at the London Stadium.
Thilo Kehrer can then slot in at right-back again – a position that he excelled in during the clash with Wolves.
Fulham have one of the most physically strong and aerially dominant strikers in the Premier League at their disposal in the form of Aleksandar Mitrovic.
The 28-year-old has already bagged six goals in eight Premier League appearances so far this season. And that is after scoring 43 goals in 44 Championship outings last term (Transfermarkt).
Mitrovic is a real handful for any centre-back that he faces. However, I truly believe that Craig Dawson will relish the battle with the Serbia international.
He originally joined the Hammers on a season-long loan from Watford in October 2020. West Ham then made his move to the London Stadium a permanent one for a further £3 million in the summer of 2021 (The Sun).
£3 million for the no-nonsense, tough-tackling centre-back now seems like an absolute bargain.
Daws has established himself as a cult hero at West Ham but he’s actually a lot more than that. He’s a very good good defender, and labelling him as a cult hero really doesn’t do him justice.
The 32-year-old is one of the best passers amongst the West Ham centre-backs now having worked really hard to improve that aspect of his game, and he deserves huge credit for that.
He has been described as an ‘immense’ centre-back by the Evening Standard. And ex-Hammer Carlton Cole once labelled him as ‘special’ (Daily Mail).
Craig Dawson is at his best when coming up against physically robust and aerially strong centre-forwards – something that David Moyes must be fully aware of.
Because of this, Dawson should be the first name on the Scot’s team-sheet for the Premier League game against Fulham on Sunday.
And as a result, Moyes should not risk him against Anderlecht on Thursday night. That’s my take on it anyway. Whether Moyes agrees with that notion remains to be seen though.
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