View: West Brom player not used v Brentford surely set for bigger role after disappointment
It has been somewhat of a disastrous weekend in the Championship for West Brom, who slipped behind Leeds United in the title race.
It started on Friday evening as the Baggies travelled to face Brentford and look lethargic on their way to a 1-0 defeat at Griffin Park.
After that, West Brom were forced to watch Leeds bounce back with a commanding 3-0 victory against Fulham to extend their gap at the top.
That win gave Leeds a three-point gap to West Brom, who now only have a five-point gap to Brentford in third after no win in four.
It wouldn’t be as much of a problem if Albion were dominating their opponents, but the main issue has been the recent struggles in the final third.
Charlie Austin has scored multiple goals of the bench this season to earn plenty of points at the Hawthorns, so it was strange to see Kenneth Zohore given his chance on Friday.
The big Dane did hit the bar, but apart from that, he did very little as the Baggies stumbled towards the final whistle without looking like equalising.
Austin was forced to sit and watch from the stands at Griffin Park, despite him scoring six of his eight goals off the bench.
Compare that to Zohore, and the 26-year-old has only found the back of the net three times in his 17 appearances this season.
Hal Robson-Kanu will no doubt lead the line against Sheffield Wednesday in midweek, but should the Baggies need a goal, Bilic has to turn to Austin this time around.
Austin has averaged more shots on goal per game compared to Zohore, and the Baggies need that poaching instinct which could bring a goal no matter how they are playing – the 30-year-old being perfect for that.
In other West Brom news, Bilic has made a team selection claim after the disappointing Brentford loss
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