Dean Ashton believes it is not purely Axel Disasi’s quality which has helped Konstantinos Mavropanos come out of his shell at Premier League survival battlers West Ham United.
Disasi is not only the most successful central defensive signing since Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson arrived in August 2021, but also the partner Dinos Mavropanos has been crying out for.
West Ham United secured a fifth clean sheet in nine Premier League matches on Monday night. Mavropanos and Disasi were in ‘fantastic’ form once again; accumulating 15 clearances between them while keeping both Jorgen Strand Larsen and Jean-Philippe Mateta quiet at Crystal Palace.
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Speaking on Sky Sports at full-time, Ashton reflected upon Axel Disasi’s impact since that deadline day arrival nearly three months ago. Not only on West Ham as a whole, but also upon a previously maligned, allegedly ‘error-prone’ centre-back.
Axel Disasi is Dinos Mavropanos’ perfect West Ham United partner
“He’s given Mavropanos a massive amount of confidence,” said Ashton. “I think he had a point to prove after some of the doubters at Chelsea.
“Mavropanos was a bit of a mess at the start of the season. But when you get a player who comes in with attributes you don’t have – like that pace in behind – Mavropanos can be more aggressive, knowing he’s got a centre-half who can cover him.”
The Greek international has always been a centre-half who likes to get on the front foot, driving forward, breaking lines and pressing aggressively.
Disasi’s expert positional sense and rapid pace means the Chelsea loanee has brought balance to Nuno’s backline, as well as bountiful quality and top-level experience.
Where would West Ham be NOW if Disasi had joined last summer? 🤔
Maybe survival would have been achieved already…
Mads Hermansen has benefited from Disasi’s presence, too. The former made his first Premier League appearance after months on the bench in February’s 2-0 win over Burnley. That away victory at Turf Moor was not only the Hammers’ first clean sheet since August, but also Disasi’s debut.
“I think we’ve been really good working on our relationships in between us, especially in the defensive lines; getting some structure and discipline in the way we want to defend,” Hermansen told West Ham’s website before the trip to Selhurst Park.
“We’ve been working really hard on that. It’s paid off, so it’s been great.”
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