Nottingham Forest defender Michael Dawson is set to face a huge battle at the City Ground, but the situation is hardly his fault.
It’s still early days but Sabri Lamouchi’s squad appears to be showing one key attribute that is leaving many starting to believe the Reds can challenge for promotion to the Premier League this season.
The number of players showing seriously good form is much greater than the number of players that Lamouchi is allowed to pick each week.
Nowhere do the Reds boast greater depth at the moment than at centre-back. In stark contrast to last season, Lamouchi now has a large cluster of in-form options to choose from, and that has meant that one or two are going to be desperately unlucky for the time-being.
Battle
And through little fault of his own, it appears that Michael Dawson could face an uphill battle trying to force his way back into the team in the near future after recently sustaining an injury.
Dawson has not played since the win against Stoke City towards the end of last month. Before that he had been virtually ever-present in the centre of defence alongside Joe Worrall.
Tobias Figueiredo and Chema Rodríguez have both filled in throughout Dawson’s absence, with the latter particularly impressing against Brentford recently. And given the situation that he is now returning to, it appears that Dawson is going to be under pressure to make the most of every opportunity he gets now.
Lamouchi’s defensive options will only be boosted even further when the likes of Yohan Benalouane and Michael Hefele return from their long-term injuries.
It is a fantastic position for the Reds to be in, and it should only ensure that defence continues to be one of Lamouchi’s side’s biggest strengths. And Lamouchi may perhaps be hoping that the return of Dawson in the near future brings the very best out of Chema after a very encouraging start to life at the City Ground.
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