View: West Brom ace must start in preferred position v Man United
Matheus Pereira must start in his preferred number 10 role when West Brom take on Manchester United this weekend.
The 24-year-old has disappointed in Albion’s recent games as he has been left stranded on the right-hand side often having very little impact on the game.
This was most evident against Fulham when the Brazilian was hauled off early in the second half after failing to trouble anyone in the Cottagers’ defence.
Despite his recent poor form, it could be argued that Pereira has been the Baggies’ most important player this season with his one goal and two assists in seven Premier League outings.
He has contributed to half of the league goals Albion have scored and Slaven Bilic simply has to build his side around Pereira if they are to avoid the drop.
This needs to start with playing the Brazilian in the number 10 role behind Karlan Grant. This is where he flourished for Albion last season.
The heatmap below shows Pereira’s average position over the course of last season. (WyScout)
As you can see he had more freedom to play between the opposition’s midfield and defensive lines. This is how he was so successful and it meant Pereira was able to score eight goals and register 13 assists.
Below is Pereira’s heatmap from this season and you can see the difference at a glance.
He is isolated on the right-hand side and he is seeing much less of the ball. If the Baggies are to have any success this season then Pereira needs to play centrally and higher up.
There is no better time to try this than against Manchester United this weekend.
No one is expecting Albion to beat the Red Devils and the game is essentially a free hit. If Bilic plays Pereira through the middle then it will show that he is actually trying to get the best out of his players instead of limiting them.
Playing Pereira behind the striker means Bilic can also play Callum Robinson on the right-wing, making it possible for Pereira, Grant, Robinson and Grady Diangana to be on the pitch at the same time.
This could serve Albion well against an injury-hit Man United who may be missing Luke Shaw, Alex Telles and Victor Lindelof on Saturday.
If the Baggies are to have any chance of picking something up at Old Trafford Bilic has to play Pereira in the number 10 role, a good performance from his side against United may well keep him in the job a little bit longer.
In other West Brom news, Michael Owen has predicted the result of the Baggies’ tie against the Red Devils.
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