Wrexham were far from their best against Barnsley in the New Year’s Day fixture, and one player in particular stood out as a weak link for the Red Dragons.
Going into the game full of confidence on the back of two impressive home wins, Wrexham will be mightily disappointed at the result and the nature of the performance in South Yorkshire to start 2025.
A poor first half made way for a more resilient and spirited second from Phil Parkinson’s men, but they simply didn’t have enough to get back into the game after some worrying defending cost them dearly.
Among our Wrexham player ratings versus Barnsley, one player continued to struggle, and may now have to pay with his place in the starting lineup for the next game.
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George Dobson’s passing is becoming a real concern for Wrexham
George Dobson has now put in two successive performances littered with errors, poor passes, and an inability to help his side progress up the pitch in transition.
Dobson was one of the lowest-scorers in our player ratings from the win against Wigan, and he showed no signs of improvement against Barnsley.
The midfielder registered just 37 touches throughout the game, and most concerning, completed just 67% of his 24 passes across his 72 minutes on the pitch.
| Statistics | George Dobson vs Barnsley |
|---|---|
| Minutes played | 72 |
| Touches | 37 |
| Successful passes | 67% |
| Duel success | 38% |
| Possession lost | 13 |
| Big chances missed | 1 |
Dobson was given the lowest rating of anyone in the Wrexham squad on SofaScore, and deservedly so.
The 27-year-old also won just five of his 13 duels on the day, and lost possession 13 times in the game. The big issue is, Dobson is giving the ball away time and time again, just as Wrexham are looking to build a meaningful attack.
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Has Andy Cannon done enough to start the next game?
Simply put, the balance in the Wrexham midfield just isn’t right, especially when Elliot Lee is missing. Dobson, Matty James, and Ollie Rathbone are all too similar players, and Dobson is definitely the weakest of the three.
Dobson is in there to essentially win back the ball, kick-start attacking moves for Wrexham, and offer a dynamic presence in the middle of the park. At the moment, he’s not doing any of that.
He was replaced by Andy Cannon against Barnsley with 20 minutes to go, and in that short space of time, the 28-year-old will have given Phil Parkinson real food for thought when it comes to his team selection for the visit of Peterborough on Saturday.
If Lee is fit and ready to go, it would be a no-brainer to drop Dobson and put in the more attack-minded, creative player. But, if not, Dobson should still be replaced by Cannon, at least until he can sort out his passing accuracy.