West Brom best XI of season so far – Mikey Johnston misses out, Mason Holgate in
West Brom have had a large positive start to the Championship campaign as hopes of a play-off place remain firmly intact.
Carlos Corberan’s side occupied the top spot in the Championship earlier in the campaign but an eight-game winless run saw them drop down the table.
Five of those eight games resulted in West Brom failing to score, demonstrating the attacking woes that have hindered them on several occasions this season.
The Baggies find themselves six points behind the league-leading duo of Sunderland and Sheffield United heading into a hectic Christmas period in which they will face the duo.
With that in mind, West Brom News looks at the Baggies’ strongest starting line-up right now on the basis of the first 15 league matches.
Mikey Johnston misses out for West Brom
Alex Palmer has been a mainstay in the Baggies side with a number of impressive performances, keeping eight clean sheets in the process. While West Brom have had several concerns in the last few weeks, defensively they have been solid and Palmer has been crucial in that.
With the Baggies’ defensive strengths in mind, Darnell Furlong and Torbjorn Heggem occupy the full-back roles. Furlong has arguably been one of the best right-backs in the Championship while Heggem has excelled in a perhaps unfamiliar left-back role, with the Norwegian typically operating as a centre-half.
The central duo of Kyle Bartley and Semi Ajayi have been a constant in the West Brom defence, although Holgate perhaps deserves more praise than he has got.
Everton loanee Holgate has had to step up in the absence of the injured pair and has excelled in defence for Corberan, who has had his faith in him rewarded.
Alex Mowatt and Jayson Molumby occupy the two central midfield roles for the Baggies, with the former arguably having been their best performer so far this campaign.
Molumby has found himself out of the side in favour of Uros Racic on several occasions, although it is the Irishman who has excelled regularly.
As for West Brom’s attack, Mikey Johnston and Grady Diangana have disappointed with their general performances throughout the season, with the pair accused as to have gone “AWOL” earlier in the campaign.
In their absence, John Swift and Karlan Grant occupy the left and central attacking midfield roles. Grant has three goals and an assist to his name this season in 14 appearances, making him statistically one of the Baggies’ best performers.
Tom Fellows and Josh Maja make up the remainder of the side, having been two of the Baggies’ most important players.
Maja especially has been in fine form, notching on nine occasions in the league while Fellows has registered five league assists, reportedly attracting interest from Everton in the process (Alan Nixon).
In other West Brom news, the Baggies trail only Burnley in the table showcasing Championship attendance figures in comparison to their respective populations.
For more West Brom news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.