Taking a closer look at how West Bromwich Albion’s defenders have performed in the Premier League this season.
West Bromwich Albion have become the latest club to experience the Tony Pulis effect; the Baggies pulling well clear of the relegation zone since the former Crystal Palace and Stoke City boss took charge at The Hawthorns.
One thing Pulis does from the outset is instil defensive stability in his sides, and West Brom were no different.
With another international break upon us, we take a closer look at West Brom’s defenders and how they have performed in the top flight this season.
Using HITC’s formula to calculate defensive contribution by adding up key attributes, the player who comes out on top for the Baggies is Craig Dawson.
The 24-year-old defender has played 22 league matches this season, returning to the starting line-up following Pulis’s arrival and not looking back.
| Outfield blocks per game | Tackles won per game | Effective clearances per game | Effective headed clearances per game | Duels won per game | Aerials won per game | Interceptions won per game | Total | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craig Dawson | 1.05 | 1.36 | 6.64 | 3.95 | 6.32 | 3.77 | 1.82 | 24.91 | 1,980 |
| Joleon Lescott | 1 | 1.46 | 6.08 | 3.85 | 4.96 | 2.35 | 2.23 | 18.93 | 2,340 |
| Jonas Olsson | 0.83 | 0.5 | 2.67 | 1 | 3.33 | 2.5 | 2 | 12.83 | 451 |
| Sébastien Pocognoli | 0.53 | 1.67 | 4.07 | 2.4 | 5.07 | 2.07 | 1.53 | 17.34 | 1,214 |
| Gareth McAuley | 0.44 | 0.81 | 5.88 | 4.06 | 4.69 | 3 | 2 | 20.88 | 1,352 |
| Chris Baird | 0.38 | 1.08 | 2.77 | 1.38 | 2.62 | 1.08 | 1.08 | 10.39 | 680 |
| Andre Wisdom | 0.27 | 0.86 | 2.86 | 1.18 | 2.77 | 0.77 | 1.36 | 10.07 | 1,951 |
| Cristian Gamboa | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 6 | 236 |
Predominantly a centre-back, Dawson has switched to right-back in recent times and he continues to impress.
As you can see from our table above, Dawson outshines his fellow West Brom defenders in four key areas in the league – averaging more outfield blocks, more effective clearances, more duels and more succesful aerial battles than the rest.
As a result he has recorded a score of 24.91, streets ahead of everyone except Gareth McAuley who managed 20.88.
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