‘Useless’, ‘Exposing us’ – Many WBA fans tear apart ‘Missing’ player at HT v Fulham
West Brom playmaker Matheus Pereira made his 50th appearance for the Baggies on Monday in the clash with Fulham.
Slaven Bilic kept the same side that drew 1-1 with Brighton last week, meaning the Brazilian was joined by Grady Diangana and Karlan Grant in a front-three.
It didn’t start well for the Baggies, who fell behind thanks to a close-range header from Bobby Decordova-Reid – a poor goal to concede.
Pereira was forced out wide in this formation and often was wasted on the right-hand side when the Baggies were moving forward.
This system is made for the likes of Conor Gallagher down the middle, a position in which Pereira would much prefer to play.
When the Brazilian has played more central this season, he has shined. His best moments came against Chelsea and Everton, where he was able to get on the ball in a free-roaming role.
Bilic will need to reconsider this system, especially after his side fell two behind before the break, through an Ola Aina screamer.
Many West Brom fans have slammed the performance of Pereira in the first-half, with the majority of those claiming he is a liability out wide.
Most of the blame for his outing was placed on the shoulders of Bilic and his system though, with nearly every single fan calling for him to be more central.
Based on this first-half showing, it is hard to argue against that – the Baggies must find a way to get their star-man firing, and quick.
West Brom News have picked out the best reactions below…
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