West Brom to play younger players in final two matches – Steve Bruce
West Brom and Coventry played out one of the Championship’s most forgettable games this season today as neither side could break the deadlock.
After 95 minutes of very few chances, it looked like the Baggies had been handed the golden opportunity to steal all three points as the referee pointed to the penalty spot.
Up stepped Karlan Grant – usually reliable from 12 yards – but the Albion top scorer saw his spot-kick saved and the game, rightly, ended goalless.
West Brom manager Steve Bruce has now decided that big changes are coming to his side and admitted such in his post-match interview.
“We have got to be professional in our last two games and maybe we’ll look at the younger element,” Bruce said, as quoted by the Express and Star.
“We still want to finish the season respectfully and in a respectable position.
“But there is a long summer ahead. We need a freshness through the club in terms of the players we bring in. And we’re on with it. It will be a new-look team.
“That is what we have to try and achieve. This club has had a disappointing couple of years – with last year in the Premier League and this year not being able to mount a challenge.
“We simply haven’t been good enough and I put myself in that bracket too.”
Exhibition
With Barnsley already down and Reading safe from the drop, neither of West Brom’s final two opponents have any kind of importance on their games either.
And while Bruce talks about professionalism in his aforementioned comments, this could be the perfect chance to go mad and do all sorts of things he never would in a normal scenario.
We’re not talking goalkeepers upfront or anything like that but there could be some untapped potential in these players who have never played anywhere but in one position.
Callum Robinson might actually be a brilliant box-to-box midfielder or Semi Ajayi as the destroyer in the middle of a trio in the midfield.
Could Jake Livermore’s skillset suit that of a centre-half? It is something they can consider.
As well as that, there are a wave of youngsters at the club who are itching to get a first-team chance having seen Taylor Gardner-Hickman break in and shine in the Championship this campaign.
In other West Brom news, Chris Lepkowski labelled today’s game as “painful” and we can’t really argue with him.
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