Local journalist: West Brom struggled v Birmingham because of the loss of one key player
West Brom struggled to create many chances on Saturday and had to settle for a goalless draw against Birmingham in their return to Championship action.
Despite dominating the game, the Baggies only had a couple of clear-cut chances, and even they didn’t end up in shots on goal.
Hal Robson-Kanu led the line once again for Slaven Bilic, with the Welsh international impressing despite only scoring 10 goals this season.
The Express and Star journalist Luke Hatfield claimed that West Brom could struggle in these sort of games because they haven’t replaced one particular player from last season.
“Last season, you didn’t see too many of these games because Albion had a striker who would at those opportunities, Dwight Gayle would be on the end of them,” he said on the Baggies Broadcast.
“The ball would fall to Dwight Gayle because he was in the right place at the right time. Albion don’t really have that striker who’s going to bang in 20 goals for them.
“I think if you had a striker like that, you’re more likely to break down a stubborn defence like that purely because you’ve got one of those predatory strikers.”
Hatfield certainly has a point. Bilic has decided to go for a much-more direct striker who can hold the ball up rather than a poacher this season.
If you compare the two though, via WhoScored, it is clear to see who impressed more at the Hawthorns.
Gayle was nearly better in every area from his year in the Championship, scoring more than double the number of goals. The Newcastle man also averaged significantly more shots per game and surprisingly attracted more fouls when in possession of the ball.
It is harsh to compare the two, but it is also hard to disagree with the fact that the Baggies could have accumulated more points with Gayle leading the line.
In other West Brom news, Bilic has detailed which players are likely to be rotated ahead of crunch clash with Brentford
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