Scott Dann: How Important Has He Been for Crystal Palace this Season?

Alan Pardew’s Crystal Palace have had a superb season so far, even if they did suffer a shock 1-0 defeat to bottom club Aston Villa in midweek. The Eagles have been flying high, and how much do they owe to their experienced centre-back Scott Dann?

The 28-year-old, who made the £6m switch to Selhurst Park from Blackburn Rovers two years ago, has been a stalwart at the back for Palace this season.

To be fair, so have the majority of the Crystal Palace team, but Dann is undoubtedly up their with their best performers.

 

Outstanding partnership

The defender has been outstanding next to Damien Delaney in defence, with the duo holding an extremely tight ship at the back. Palace have conceded just 20 Premier League goals this season, that’s less than the likes of Arsenal, Leicester City and Manchester City.

Dann hasn’t just impressed in defence either, he’s been a real threat from set-pieces and has scored three big goals for the Eagles this term. The ex-Coventry City and Birmingham City man has netted in wins against Aston Villa and Liverpool, as well as in the 1-1 draw at Everton last month.

Pardew’s Palace sit pretty in eighth place in the Premier League table, with a solid 31 points from 21 games. Despite a slight dip in form recently, the Eagles are still only five points adrift of Tottenham Hotspur in fourth place.

 

A match for anyone

Dann and co. have two extremely tough tests on the horizon as they travel to the Etihad Stadium this weekend, before hosting Spurs next week. However, the south Londoners have proved that they’re a match for anyone this season, and they won’t fear neither opponent.

Palace are certainly a club on the up, and with the likes of Scott Dann putting in numerous outstanding displays, who knows how far they can go?

 

Written by Gareth Hinton

Follow Gareth on Twitter @Galccfc

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