Styles weakness must be addressed despite what he did in West Brom v Preston
Chris Brunt will have little to complain about after West Brom claimed all three points against Preston North End on Wednesday.
Josh Maja and Callum Styles were in the goals before Ryan Ledson wiped out Alex Palmer’s clean sheet, but it was vital to build on the 1-1 draw against Sheffield United after losing to Derby County.
While the Baggies have moved back into the Championship play-off spot with the victory, there are still improvements for multiple players to make if they are to claim promotion to the Premier League this term.
Although Styles netted his first goal for Albion since joining in the summer, the 24-year-old showed weaknesses in his game that need to be addressed if he is to hold down the left-back position.
During his 81 minutes on The Hawthorns’ pitch on 1 January, the left-back scored with a 100 per cent shot accuracy, created one chance and completed 100 per cent of his dribbles [FotMob].
Not everything was so plain sailing for the Hungarian, though.
| Callum Style display v Preston North End | |
| Minutes played | 81 |
| Goals (Shooting accuracy) | 1 (100%) |
| Successful dribbles | 2/2 |
| Tackles won (%) | 0/1 (0%) |
| Aerial duels won (%) | 1/3 (33%) |
Callum Styles improvement needed despite West Brom goal v Preston
Despite becoming a fan-favourite at The Hawthorns in recent weeks, there is a glaringly obvious weakness to his game, and that comes in defence.
Against Preston, he won zero per cent of his tackles, 67 per cent of his ground duels and just 33 per cent of his aerial duels, also making two fouls during the game [FotMob].
He had a brilliant opportunity to put those defensive frailties to bed before Ledson’s goal but was too late to block the shot, with the Baggies losing their clean sheet at The Hawthorns.
During the 1-1 draw at Bramall Lane, Styles only won 57 per cent of his ground duels (8/14), won zero per cent of his aerial duels and committed two fouls [FotMob].
There is clearly a theme with his statistics because, during the 2-1 loss to Watford, he only won 33 per cent of his ground duels and made one foul, as per FotMob.
If he can correct the defensive frailties, Styles could be one of the most in-form defenders in the Championship right now, especially if his attacking prowess continues alongside it.
However, Brunt may have to double up on the left flank to add some defensive reinforcement if these changes cannot be made to his game immediately.
In other West Brom news, a Sky Sports commentator named Carlos Corberan’s potential successor live on Sky Sports.
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