Blackburn Rovers will be stewing on their 3-0 loss to Burnley in the East Lancashire derby over the course of late November and early December, with Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side suffering a heavy defeat in their final game before the World Cup break. 

There was a chance for Rovers to move to the top of the Championship table with a win against Burnley, but it wasn’t to be and now there’s time to reflect, rest and recoup ahead of a hectic second-half of the season.

Tomasson’s side still have five games before 2022 is over, taking on Preston North End, Norwich City, Sunderland and Middlesbrough in the Championship, as well as facing Nottingham Forest in the EFL Cup, hoping for a place in the last eight of the competition.

2023 promises to be an exciting year beyond that, though, with a potential cup quarter-final to look forward to, as well as a potential play-off push in the Championship.

Who might step up to the plate for Blackburn, then, in 2023? We take a look at a couple of contenders here:

Dilan Markanday

Soccer Football - Championship - Hull City v Blackburn Rovers - KCOM Stadium, Hull, Britain - January 19, 2022 Blackburn Rovers' Dilan Markanday in action with Hull City's Ryan Longman Action Images/Molly Darlington EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

It’s been a tough start to Markanday’s career with Blackburn, having arrived at the club in January 2022.

Injury limited him to only two 20 minute cameos in the Championship last season, whilst this year he’s been held back to a role padding out the matchday squad, with his only appearances coming in the EFL Cup; he’s scored in wins over Hartlepool United and Bradford City.

There’s a talent in there that’s waiting to light up the Championship. Markanday scored 12 goals and registered five assists in 14 Premier League 2 appearances for Tottenham in 2021/22, a level that isn’t far off what we see in the EFL.

Who knows, it might well be 2023 that he finally kicks into gear for Blackburn.

 

 

Bradley Dack 

Soccer Football - Carabao Cup - Blackburn Rovers v Hartlepool United - Ewood Park, Blackburn, Britain - August 10, 2022 Blackburn Rovers' Bradley Dack celebrates scoring their second goal Action Images/Ed Sykes EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

You might usually find an up-and-coming player here, but with Blackburn potentially progressing in the cup and challenging for a place in the play-offs, we’ve focused on Dack.

Dack has started only three times in the Championship this season, playing 353 minutes in the league, supplemented with nine further outings from the bench.

The 28-year-old hasn’t scored a league goal and has registered just two assists, hardly hitting the heights that we expect of him at this level.

He’s a player that can offer so much more when he’s on the top of his game, which Tomasson will surely be chipping into in 2023.

If Dack can find his best, surely he could be someone that makes a difference for Blackburn in the race for the top-six.