Pieces are beginning to fall into place at Hawthorns
ALBION’S third win on the spin lifted them out of the Championship relegation zone as the season pauses for the World Cup.
Kyle Bartley was at it again, for the second game in a row opening the scoring, before Brandon ThomasAsante’s wonder goal in the second half put the result against Stoke beyond any doubt.
It was as deserved and routine a 2-0 victory as you are likely to see, something Albion’s supporters will savour leading into the winter break.
Here are the talking points from Saturday’s stroll at The Hawthorns.
Set-piece superlatives
The Baggies look genuinely dangerous from set-pieces again, and it is so refreshing being able to anticipate a threat in the opposing penalty area whenever John Swift swings a corner in. Albion terrorised the Potters in the first half with Bartley the constant target.
Judging by his own reaction following some of the chances he was afforded, he knew he should have gone down the tunnel at half-time with more than one goal to his name – Bartley could have had four on another day.
His header to break the deadlock was the third goal in a row Albion had scored from a set-piece under new head coach Carlos Corberan, having never looked likely prior to his arrival.
It is a tool the Spaniard has been keen to utilise and has done so expertly thus far. And against Stoke, of all teams, who used to bully Albion in both boxes.
On Bartley specifically, his reaction to Corberan’s appointment after things turned sour under the previous management has been something to behold these past couple of weeks.
Consistency is king
In this division, which is as topsyturvy as any in the world and produces weird and wonderful results week on week, any side able to show even a remote level of consistent form over an extensive period tends to rise to the top.
To date, it has been Burnley and Sheffield United who have displayed
such capabilities. Teams like Stoke, who have won four and drawn five of their last nine matches, are likely to finish anywhere between seventh and 17th based on that sort of return.
Albion, who have been largely underwhelming this season and, quite rightly, have spent the vast majority of the campaign in the lower reaches of the table, have all of a sudden managed to knit together three successive victories.
Such is the nature of the league, and their indifferent form in that time, that they haven’t managed to secure such
a string of victories since August 2021 – when Valerien Ismael was enjoying his initial bounce.
Brandon’s belter
Even though it was in August, Watford’s Ismaila Sarr probably thought
he had sewn up The Hawthorns’ goal of the season when he lobbed David Button from inside his own half right at the start of the season.
That was until Thomas-Asante decided to stake his claim for the award. A player who attempted a similar goal at QPR the weekend before when introduced as a substitute, he was deservedly handed his chance by Corberan and grasped it with both hands.
It wasn’t just his goal. He would have received a standing ovation even if he hadn’t found the net in such ridiculous fashion. You can see exactly why supporters call for him to be more involved and, at a time when Karlan Grant is struggling with injury and form, Albion need him to fire.
In the first half Thomas-Asante dropped deep, linked the play and dragged defenders about with his movement. He was unfortunate not to have more luck in the penalty area, but in the second half his instinct and anticipation kicked in. The Brummie Road were left picking their jaws up off the terraces.