Don Goodman shares verdict on whether Thomas-Asante should start West Brom v Southampton
Don Goodman has given his verdict on whether Brandon Thomas-Asante should start for West Brom in the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final against Southampton this weekend.
Thomas-Asante has been Carlos Corberan's go-to man to lead the line this season, but he has scored just twice in his past 15 appearances.
Jed Wallace performed well and found the net when used as a false nine in the unfortunate 2-1 loss to Leicester City last month, which could be the blueprint to follow against Southampton.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's (12 May) semi-final first leg at The Hawthorns, Goodman told West Brom News: "Thomas-Asante has been out of the side and it takes time to get that sharpness back. I'd be more worried if he's not getting chances, as he did against Preston.
"It's good that he's getting in these positions and he's a handful on his day. I think Corberan will do what he feels is the right thing to tactically stay in the game and come through a two-legged tie. Of the recent games, Leicester away they were much better and should have won at a point Leicester needed to win.
"That was the best I've seen West Brom for two, three, even four years to be honest with you. It was a brilliant performance in which they missed chance after chance, with Jed Wallace playing the false nine and scoring a brilliant goal.
"With that in mind, neither of those options are a bad option, but Carlos will have in his mind that Southampton will likely dominate possession. With that in mind, it's his call on whether to go with a false nine or Brandon Thomas-Asante."
Brandan Thomas-Asante must step up if selected v Southampton
Thomas-Asante was wasteful in the win over Preston, failing to find the target from any of his three attempts, although it ultimately mattered little.
One of those misses left club legend Tony Brown baffled as he commentated live on the game for BBC Radio WM.
Of his last 19 attempts, Thomas-Asante has found the net only twice [WhoScored]. If Albion are to overcome a strong Southampton side, you'd expect it will be by the slimmest of margins.
Any chances that come Thomas-Asante's way, assuming he does indeed get the nod up top, must therefore be converted.
The Baggies cannot afford to be profligate over the two legs, nor can Corberan afford to get his team selection wrong. If BTA is fully on it, there is no reason why he cannot be Albion's play-off hero.
In other West Brom news, a supercomputer has predicted the outcome of the 2023-24 play-offs.