After another impressive team performance at Anfield on Wednesday night there were several candidates for our own man-of-the-match from the 1-1 draw with Liverpool. You could take your pick from our defenders and midfielders really, but one thing for certain is that Dan Ballard added to his list of impressive performances which stretches back to when he came back into the team for the play-offs at the end of last season.
He has made the step up from the Championship to the Premier League without a hiccup
and, in what amounts to a new team with some increasingly looking top-rate players alongside him, he has grown in confidence. In recent weeks he has looked a complete beast of a player. At Anfield he once again – as he has done in some other notable games this season – looked like a complete pain in the backside to the opposition in all areas of the pitch.
Along with putting in another dominant performance at the heart of our defence, he was a handful for opponents to deal with when Sunderland had corners and free-kicks into the box, while also making a number of driving runs up the pitch and laying off some pretty neat passes to his team-mates (memory block the one that went sailing out of play).
To put it into context this isn’t at the Stadium of Light with the home crowd driving him on – this was Dan Ballard at Anfield of all places taking the game to the home side – the current league champions no less – and helping to make them look pretty ordinary.
It’s not the first time this season that he has looked to make those forward-driving runs; Stamford Bridge in the 2-1 win is another that springs to mind and in some ways he reminds me of club legend and fellow centre-half Gary Bennett, who himself loved a good rampage up the pitch with the ball in his day. The difference between them is that Bennett would more likely continue his run into the box, while Ballard seems to have an eye for a pass to set up an attack.
Watching him do that the thought has played in my mind as to wonder if he could do a job in midfield at some point. A pure playful thought it has to be said, and one which Régis Le Bris would never try as for one thing Sunderland are completely stacked for midfielders right now. Kevin Ball did make the switch from defence as a midfield ball-winner, but it would be interesting to see Dan Ballard as a box-to-box type in midfield.
The confidence of playing in a team that fancies their chances no matter who the opponent has clearly helped his own game and, for the first time in a couple of seasons and without the injury problems of last season, he has had an extended run in the starting eleven with few injury problems himself.
Right now, Dan Ballard is probably playing the best football of his career.
