Lewis Cox slams ‘sloppy’ Okay Yokuslu despite ‘important’ West Brom performances
Lewis Cox has hit out at Okay Yokuslu for inconsistent performances in a West Brom shirt, although he went on to claim he is one of the best in the division when at the top of his game.
The Express & Star journalist appeared frustrated by the midfielder’s inconsistency, calling for him to show his top form more often as when he plays well, Albion do too.
Cox claimed Yokuslu can be sloppy in possession and go missing in games, where he’ll have a run of two or three important performances before lacking involvement in the next.
Cox was speaking on the Baggies Broadcast podcast [5 December] as he shared his view: “He was Albion’s standout man on Saturday by far I would say.
“I actually find that we see him shine or impress for a game or two and then there might be a game where he’s sort of… not anonymous, but not involved and you need a bit more.
“We know how good he is with the ball but then there are games where he might be a little bit sloppy with it. Finding that consistency at that level we saw on Saturday every game would be a lot to ask, you would argue he would be playing in the top flight, so it’s tough to expect that.
“There’s no doubt Yoskuslu is among the squad’s most important performers. When he plays well, Albion tend to. When he’s at this level, there are few in the division that can top him. Albion just miss him when he’s not at it.”
Valid criticism, but he deserves some praise
While it may be fair that when Yokuslu has a bad game, he can be anonymous and struggle to make an impact, the nature of his role is one that you either stand out in or go unnoticed as it does not require any dramatic action on the pitch for people to take notice.
It takes a standout performance in the middle of the park to gain plaudits for his influence, but on a poor day where others may come in for criticism, Yokuslu talk remains quiet as there is nothing standout to point at and say ‘That was bad.’
His displays in recent weeks against table-topping sides in Leicester and Ipswich epitomised the role he can play in Carlos Corberan’s midfield, breaking up play and showing his quality in possession to keep West Brom moving forward.
It is now up to him, as Cox says, to keep up this level of form and prove he can be a standout player on a more consistent basis at The Hawthorns, influencing games as he did in those two in the Baggies’ favour.
In other West Brom news, a journalist has named one player who may be forced out in January.