View: West Brom need to provide Andy Carroll with the support he needs
West Brom could solve their attacking troubles if they provide Andy Carroll with the support he so desperately needs up front.
Last night’s 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough extended Albion’s winless run to six games, leaving them 11thin the Championship.
They did manage to score their first goal in over 450 minutes’ worth of football, but Steve Bruce will be desperately curios on how to get the Baggies scoring more goals and winning games, something the former Newcastle manager is yet to do since taking charge at the Hawthorns.
After watching last night’s game, it was very clear that Carroll is the answer to West Brom’s problems. He individually made the goal but it was the support from his teammates that was the defining factor.
You can see there is nobody in the box supporting the striker but with his great experience he took as many touches as possible without losing the ball, drew the keeper in and laid the ball off into a very good area.
Thankfully due to Carroll delaying the final ball for as long as possible, the Baggies runners were able to get themselves into the box where Jayson Molumby slotted the ball home.
Carroll has proven countless times he is one of the best strikers in the world at holding the ball up and bringing his teammates into play. At six foot four, he is an absolute beast in the air with a rather impressive 62.3% of 544 aerial duels won.
The former West Ham forward knows how to use his body to shield off defenders which Bruce certainly needs to utilise the talisman as he looks to turn Albion’s fortune around. None of the players got anywhere near close to him all game which even led to the Carroll showing his frustration, urging his teammates to support him.
Look at how his teammates at Newcastle got around him to win the second ball.
The ball was aimlessly pumped up to him and just by providing Carroll with options, the Toon were straight on the counterattack.
With the team struggling to score goals through creative play, getting on the end of a flick on and allowing the whole team to move up the pitch could be the decisive factor in getting the Baggies winning games again.
There were countless occasions where Carroll did excellently up front by himself in last nights (February 22) loss but to move, or punt forward, fizzled out to nothing.
It will be interesting to see what decision Bruce makes with Daryl Dike when the American returns from injury. If the Baggies are still fighting for promotion, he should opt for the experience Carroll has but if the Baggies season has been decided, it would be silly not to allow Dike to find his feet in the team before next season.
Even aged 33, he has shown he is more than capable of lifting this team. West Brom just need to let him.
In other West Brom news, Steve Bruce “quietly confident” in the Baggies promotion push.
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