View: Matt Phillips set to be dropped for West Brom clash v Crystal Palace
West Brom travel to Crystal Palace on Saturday knowing that they are running out of chances in the Premier League this season.
The Baggies looked to have turned a corner recently but crashed to a disappointing goalless draw against Newcastle last time out.
Sam Allardyce’s men are now eight points behind Fulham and Brighton with only 10 games left to play in this current season.
Something needs to change, and the attacking output is most likely at the top of that list.
Matt Phillips has been given numerous chances in recent weeks but is seriously lacking the pace and skill to beat his man and create opportunities.
The 29-year-old only completed 43% of his dribbles according to WyScout and won only 44% of his offensive duels in the final third.
Looking at his heatmap from the 0-0 draw, Phillips struggled to push the Magpies back which gave him limited chances on the ball to make a difference.
The chances of Phillips being dropped grew on Tuesday, too.
It has been reported by the Express and Star that Grady Diangana is pushing for his first start since January after featuring for the under-23s against Burnley on Monday.
The marquee summer signing has struggled with form and injuries this season, but after scoring for the under-23s, he will be raring to go against Crystal Palace.
Diangana’s pace can cause problems for anyone, and if he can utilise space left out-wide against the likes of Patrick van Aanholt who likes to get forward, it could be a real weapon.
Matheus Pereira is on the left, and simply won’t be dropped, so unfortunately for Phillips, he may have to settle for a place on the bench.
In other West Brom news, mystery of Baggies first-teamer continues after U23s cameo