View: West Brom key weakness exposed again despite win v Sheffield United
West Brom earned their first Premier League win of the season against Sheffield United on Saturday at The Hawthorns and moved out of the bottom three.
A Conor Gallagher goal was enough to seal the victory and it should provide a huge boost to the squad moving forward as they battle relegation.
Starting the season without a win from your opening nine games will have been disheartening and Slaven Bilic must hope this can act as a springboard in terms of confidence and results for his group.
However, this win should not be sugarcoated and the Croatian has to move quickly to confront the issues that continue to plague his side.
Once again, the Baggies gave up far too many clear opportunities and relied on a combination of good goalkeeping and poor finishing to bail them out. It worked this time, and perhaps they deserved a bit of luck after what happened at Old Trafford, but they will not be as fortunate next time.
On Saturday, the Blades took 23 shots and generated 2.8 expected goals in total (via FBRef). By comparison, the Baggies generated just 1.4 xG.
This is not just a single game phenomenon either. The Baggies have the highest xG against total in the league, 19.2, and the worst xG differential, -12.5.
Against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United, the move to the back three added solidity and the use of wing-backs has definitely benefitted the attack. Darnell Furlong and Conor Townsend appear to be naturals in the role, while Bilic even looks to have found a nice midfield balance.
But at the back, the Baggies marking was slack once again and too often a Sheffield United attacker was left open in the area. According to FBRef, Branislav Ivanovic made just one successful pressure of four attempts and failed to make a single tackle or interception. Bartley was similarly ineffective in terms of tackling and interceptions but did make seven clearances on the day.
Ajayi was the most involved of the back three by far and has grown into the best defender for the Baggies this season. However, the work around him must continue, regardless of this win.
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