In other West Brom news, Baggies star is suddenly the odd one out under Bilic
View: Are West Brom about to make huge mistake as PL results get worse?
If the reports are to be believed, West Brom boss Slaven Bilic could be on the brink of losing his job after a tough 5-1 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace.
According to the Daily Mirror, Bilic could face the sack if his side fails to improve against Newcastle United when they face the Magpies on Saturday.
Given the Baggies position in the table and their underlying metrics, it is somewhat understandable that Bilic would be under pressure. However, given the resources at his disposal, it still seems unfair.
During the Croatian’s first season in charge at The Hawthorns, Bilic led West Brom to automatic promotion and brought in a number of exciting players in the process. Only Brentford scored more goals than West Brom’s 77, while they took 14.7 shots per game and averaged 53.6% possession (via WhoScored).
With Matheus Pereira in the number 10 role and Grady Diangana thriving on the wing, they were an exciting side to watch, even in the absence of a ruthless goalscorer up front.
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So far this season that has not translated and West Brom have won just once, scoring eight goals and generating just 7.5 expected goals (via FBRef). However, this is not entirely Bilic’s fault.
In the transfer window, the boss was not given the support he needed to build a solid defence that could cope at the Premier League level. The club’s only defensive additions were Cedric Kipre, who is yet to appear in the league, and a 36-year-old Branislav Ivanovic. Meanwhile, Ahmed Hegazi was sold from behind the coach’s back.
In a bid to cover for their defensive frailties, Bilic has had to pivot his approach and that has hurt the attack. Still, though, Conor Gallagher has improved week on week and Pereira looked back to his best against Sheffield United, providing nine key passes (via WhoScored).
Removing Bilic does not solve the problems present in the squad and any replacement is likely to be someone less committed to attacking football, with the brief to keep them in the division. Whether that is even achievable remains to be seen and risks alienating players like Pereira, Gallagher and Diangana who have thrived under Bilic.
At this point, the issues go beyond the manager and in terms of developing a style of play and approach that will be bear fruit in the long-run, removing the Croatian could prove a mistake.