Kevin Phillips expects Robinson and Grant to be dropped for West Brom clash v Preston
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Valerien Ismael is “not afraid” to change the West Brom starting line-up and we could see a major shift in the attack against Preston this weekend, according to Kevin Phillips.
Albion have drawn their last two matches against Millwall and Derby at home with Ismael’s side failing to show the attacking prowess they did prior to the international break.
Karlan Grant and Callum Robinson both failed to impress in the 0-0 draw against Derby at The Hawthorns on Tuesday night and ex-striker Phillips can see the two big-name Albion players axed for the trip to Deepdale on Saturday.
“Ismael’s not afraid to make decisions and I would expect Grant to not start at the weekend,” said Phillips to West Brom News.
“He could put Robinson out wide or Matt Phillips. When you play with Phillips on the right and [Grady] Diangana on the left, with [Jordan] Hugill in the middle, there’s the ability to put crosses into the box.
“We know what sort of deliveries Phillips can do and he can also drive inside to play one-twos. Getting Diangana out on the left and putting crosses in just mixes the play up a little bit.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if Robinson and Grant didn’t start just purely if Hugill starts.”
Since joining West Brom for £15million from Huddersfield last year, Grant has scored just two goals.
Robinson, on the other hand, has been one of Albion’s better players since he initially joined on loan from Sheffield United in January 2020.
However, he wasn’t at his best against Derby and it may be time for Ismael to freshen things up in time for the trip to Preston this weekend.
In other West Brom news, this Albion player appears to have deleted his social media accounts after being abused online.
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