One Blackburn Rovers lesson John Eustace will have learnt v Stoke City: View | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers could be rejuvenated under their new boss.

On Friday, the Blackburn faithful witnessed a managerial change at the club as Jon Dahl Tomasson departed, putting an end to his one-and-a-half-year spell in charge. Rovers had an immediate replacement seemingly waiting in the wings as former Birmingham boss, John Eustace, was appointed head coach, with his announcement coming just 35 minutes after Tomasson's departure.

There is no denying that the Ewood Park outfit have had a tough time this season, but there is plenty to be excited about as a new era gets underway, with Eustace at the helm. The 44-year-old started the season in charge of Birmingham City, but despite guiding the club to sixth in the Championship, he was controversially sacked.

Eustace did not deserve to be relieved of his duties at Birmingham, but now he has the opportunity to prove a point in the second tier. On Saturday, he was present as his new club, Blackburn, earned a comfortable 3-1 victory at home to Stoke City, with Damien Johnson and David Lowe taking charge of the Rovers side on the day.

The standout player in Saturday's 3-1 victory was Tyrhys Dolan. Eustace would have witnessed his tremendous display and learned that one way he can help Blackburn to succeed will be getting the most out of the 22-year-old.

Dolan shines at Ewood Park

Having recently spent two months on the sidelines through injury, and with a new manager watching closely, Dolan was keen to impress on Saturday, and he did just that.

The 22-year-old played 85 minutes in Blackburn's 3-1 victory over Stoke City and even earned himself the Player of the Match award for his display. He started just behind Sam Gallagher, who played as the sole number nine, with Championship top-scorer Sammie Szmodics being the third man in Rovers' forward line.

Dolan opened the scoring inside just seven minutes, converting a stunning team goal, before grabbing his second goal of the afternoon to make it 3-0 after 37 minutes. Stoke managed to grab a goal back two minutes later, but Rovers held on comfortably to pick up all three points.

Dolan, who also created two big chances (FotMob) was the hero on the day as he gave Eustace something to think about going forward. The attacker had just three shots on goal on Saturday, but the fact he scored two of them shows a real clinical nature in front of goal. He also earned himself a WhoScored rating of 7.87 for his brace, which was his third best of the season, having earned a 7.91 and 8.20 against Norwich and QPR respectively.

Eustace must get the most out of Dolan

The forward has been one of Blackburn's brightest stars over the last few years, contributing with both goals and assists at such a young age. Dolan has been a popular figure since signing in 2020, but this season he has been slightly inconsistent.

Now that Eustace is in charge, the new boss must utilise Dolan to the maximum and almost build his team around him if he finds consistent form. A front three of Dolan, Szmodics and Gallagher seems the key to success for at least this season, and beyond. There remain some defensive issues in the squad, but with a front three of that quality, there should be no shortage of goals.

Dolan is such an exciting talent for Blackburn who looks to chip in with goals and assists when needed most. His versatility means he can play up top, on either wing, or even as an attacking midfielder. That versatile nature will come in handy for Eustace who can use Dolan in whichever position he chooses. As seen on Saturday, getting the most out of Dolan could be the key to success - both this season and beyond.