View: Bilic must be brave against Man United side with shocking home record
West Brom face Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, in what is traditionally one of the toughest fixtures on the Premier League calendar.
However, that is no longer the case, with United not the force they once were and Liverpool Manchester City having overtaken them.
So far this season, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team have picked up just one point from their opening four home matches and West Brom need to believe they can get something out of this game (via WhoScored).
Furthermore, the Red Devils currently have an injury crisis on their hands, with Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford reportedly set to miss out (via talkSPORT). Left-back Luke Shaw has been ruled out for a month with a hamstring injury, while his back-up Alex Telles has tested positive for COVID-19 (via Manchester Evening News).
This could see Brandon Williams and Edinson Cavani making their first Premier League starts of the season, while Solskjaer has continued to switch between different systems so far this term.
In order to take advantage of the weaknesses of their opponent, Slaven Bilic must be brave and trust that his side can get a result. Against Tottenham Hotspur, the Baggies defended on the front foot and caused their opponents plenty of issues, with Dara O’Shea and Semi Ajayi snapping into tackles as part of a back three.
The spaces between the backline and midfield that were so costly at Fulham were no longer evident and as a result they were able to limit Spurs to few chances. According to InfoGol, Jose Mourinho’s side created just three chances with a better than 25% likelihood of being scored, with Harry Kane’s last minute winner being their second-best chance of the match.
Regardless of the formation Bilic chooses to go with, that will likely be determined by the availability of certain personnel, West Brom need to play with the aggression and intensity that was obvious against Spurs.
Against Fulham they were passive and sat too deep, and were beaten comfortably as a result. It does not matter that they are travelling to Old Trafford – this is not a vintage United side.
In other West Brom news, View: Tools to hurt them – 25y/o West Brom star who must start v Man United