West Brom manager Valerien Ismael criticised for ‘strange’ omission of Semi Ajayi
West Brom manager Valerien Ismael has been criticised in a report from the Express & Star for leaving Semi Ajayi out of his team.
The Baggies started the Championship campaign with a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth, but Ajayi was left out in favour of Cedric Kipre, and this decision was described as “strange”.
The report states that the giant centre-back seems “tailor-made” to play in Ismael’s system because of his pace and that the former Barnsley manager can’t ignore Ajayi going forward.
Should Ajayi have played?
In hindsight, it is very easy to say that Ajayi should have played, especially after Kipre’s poor performance [Birmingham Mail].
However, you would think that going forward, Ajayi could be the ideal player to slot into the Baggies’ back three.
He has plenty of Championship experience and is also a goal threat, having scored five in the 2019/20 season.
So, it will be interesting to see what Ismael decides to do going forward, but we would love to see Ajayi more involved from now on.
He could be the ideal player for Ismael’s system, and it was odd that he was left out on Friday.
Perhaps Kipre’s performance might convince the Frenchman to put his faith in Ajayi for West Brom’s next game against Luton Town.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies are keen on adding an international striker to their side.
Be sure to follow West Brom News on Facebook and Twitter for 24/7 updates on the Baggies and more exclusive interviews with Kevin Phillips.