Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has revealed that he has been very surprised by the fact that Blackburn Rovers have managed to keep five consecutive clean-sheets in the Championship.

Whilst Ben Brereton Diaz's goal-scoring escapades have played a significant role in the club's impressive start to the 2021/22 campaign, Rovers' recent defensive displays have been equally as impressive.

After witnessing his side fail to prevent their opponents from scoring in four consecutive games, Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray decided to switch to a 3-4-1-2 formation for the club's showdown with Peterborough United.

This particular tactical change resulted in Blackburn keeping a clean-sheet at Ewood Park as they sealed a 4-0 victory over Posh.

Since this fixture, Rovers have managed to produce promising defensive displays against Stoke City, Preston North End, AFC Bournemouth and Birmingham City.

Currently third in the Championship standings, Blackburn could potentially move level on points with leaders Fulham on Boxing Day if they seal all three points in their showdown with Hull City.

Ahead of this game, Goodman has admitted that he has been surprised by Rovers' defensive resilience in recent weeks.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Sky Sports EFL Podcast about Blackburn, Goodman said: "What they've done is they've won games in different ways haven't they?

"They've beaten a couple of teams relatively comfortably in Peterborough and Birmingham, found a way to beat Bournemouth and they've ground out a couple of 1-0 wins over Stoke and Preston.

 

 

"So they've been doing it in all different ways and I think possibly the biggest surprise is these five clean-sheets in a row.

"If you gave me one team that I had to pick that may get five clean-sheets in a row, I think they would have been right down towards the bottom end of my list."

The Verdict

When you consider that Blackburn conceded 27 goals in 18 games before their recent defensive resurgence, it is hardly a shock that Goodman has been surprised with the change that has occurred at Ewood Park.

Scott Wharton has played a significant role in this transformation as he has featured alongside Darragh Lenihan and Jan Paul van Hecke in a three-man defence.

Currently averaging an impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.16 in the Championship, the 24-year-old will be brimming with confidence heading into Sunday's showdown with Hull.

By sealing another victory in this showdown, Blackburn may be able to use the momentum gained from this result to push on under the guidance of Mowbray in the New Year.