Flexibility gives the Baggies extra edge
WEST Bromwich Albion were rightly amongst the favourites to gain promotion from the Championship this season. A squad stacked full of experienced Premier league players was never likely to go unnoticed by the bookies.
It hasn’t gone entirely to plan so far but recent signs suggest that the New Year could be a more comfortable ride for Baggies’ supporters.
A recent change in approach has seen the team win three games on the bounce, scoring eight goals in the process.
The team’s scoring prowess has attracted plenty of attention, 41 goals in just 19 League matches means they are the most dangerous attacking outfit in the division.
The fact they’ve also been shipping goals has meant that there has been plenty for the neutrals to enjoy.
Manager Darren Moore worked wonders at the end of last season, taking Albion’s battle for Premier league survival right to the penultimate match of the season.
During those last few weeks in the top flight, his side beat Tottenham at home and won brilliantly at Old Trafford. The team played 4-4-2, were compact in defence and midfield, and broke quickly on the counter-attack. Before a ball was kicked, and despite the different challenges the Championship presents, I expected the game plan to remain largely the same.
An indifferent start to the season which yielded just one win from three games meant that by the time Luton visited in the Carabao Cup, Moore had rolled the dice by setting his team up in a new 3-4-1-2 formation.
The new shape meant an altered style, a more patient build-up and a bigger emphasis on playing out from the back via the three central defenders.
Handsome victories over QPR, Bristol City and Reading followed before a slump in late October caused another rethink in the Manager’s office.
The latest run of victories has seen Moore deploy a 4-3-3 with a more direct style of play once again evident.
I was there to see them win 2-1 at Ipswich last Friday. Defensively, Albion were strong and well organised.
Centre-back pairing Ahmed Hegazi and Craig Dawson looked a lot more comfortable in a flat back four where their responsibility was to defend rather than take possession of the ball from the goalkeeper.
Matt Phillips played in a new position on the right of a narrow midfield, causing Ipswich a lot of problems, and proved to be the difference between the two sides.
It was his cross that led to Jay Rodriguez’s opener and also his lung-busting run and pass that supplied Harvey Barnes for Albion’s crucial second.
There is a real directness to the forward play in this system. Barnes, Rodriguez and Hal Robson-Kanu are all terrifically mobile.
Like Phillips, they can quickly turn defence into attack by driving the ball up the pitch into the opposition’s territory.
It’s an arsenal that I don’t see elsewhere in the Championship and surely the reason why leading scorer Dwight Gayle has recently found himself on the bench.
This is another conundrum that Moore has on his plate. Playing Gayle centrally and pushing Rodriguez wide is an obvious option, but I feel Gayle would be a more certain starter if they revert back to a front two.
Personally, I don’t see a huge need for Albion to invest in the squad in January. Extra cover in defence and central midfield would help the team’s chances further but the priority has to be keeping hold of their stars and, in particular, Leicester loanee Barnes.
The noises coming from both him and his parent club seem to suggest that he’ll be staying in the West Midlands until the summer.
With Brentford visiting the Hawthorns tomorrow night, it’ll be interesting to see how Albion line up against the Bees, who on their day are one of the best footballing sides in the division.
Both Moore and his assistant Graeme Jones have spoken about the necessity to be adaptable and for certain games I wouldn’t rule out a return to the previous system.
With the formation flexibility and the quality personnel they possess, I expect them to take the three points and continue on their ascent towards the automatic promotion positions.