West Brom coach blown away by ‘terrific’ player after living up to the ‘challenge’ for Ryan Mason
Ryan Mason has a special weapon in his locker which will boost his Championship hopes.
West Brom ended their winning streak against Portsmouth in what shaped up to be a controversial game.
Mason was shown a red card by referee Elliott Bell after protesting as Regan Poole’s tug on Aune Heggebo went unpunished.
Despite the disappointing result, the Baggies remain unbeaten in all competitions. With several positives to build on, Mason will welcome the recent performances from one star player.
Nigel Gibbs praises Isaac Price’s recent form
Issac Price has been impactful since arriving from Standard Liege for £2.5million in January.
The attacking midfielder was a bright spark to a disappointing end in their 2024/25 Championship campaign. It now seems he has carried that same form into the new league season.
Price netted the winner for West Brom in their opening day win against Blackburn Rovers. He then put up an unforgettable performance in West Brom’s 3-2 victory over Wexham.
This has not escaped the notice of Albion assistant coach Nigel Gibbs, who believes Price will be a “marked man” moving forward.
In quotes provided by Express and Star on Tuesday, 26 August, he said: “Isaac is going to be a marked man now, he has been terrific for us scoring goals so far.
“Credit to him, he kept going and like I say, the players did everything we asked of them we just couldn’t find that final ball or cross or shot to get us the winner.
“It is a challenge for him now, and that is absolutely credit to him for what he has been doing so far. He is a willing worker and we’ll work with him and others.
“Obviously, it is still early days for us, but he has done very well for us so far.”
- Read more: Michael Dawson shares what Mason will be thinking at West Brom after Price goal vs Wrexham
What do the stats say about Isaac Price’s performance?
While three games are a small sample size, Price’s recent form has been curated through persistence, a keen eye for goal and a little bit of luck.
In terms of goalscoring statistics, the attacking midfielder excels. He is greatly outperforming his expected goals, which stand at 0.48 per 90. Meanwhile, he has taken 2.89 shots, 1.81 of them being on target.
| Goals | 1.08 per 90 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 0.48 per 90 |
| Shots | 2.89 per 90 |
| Shots on target | 1.81 per 90 |
| Assists | 0.36 per 90 |
| Expected assists | 0.07 per 90 |
| Chances created | 1.45 per 90 |
However, his creative stats are where things get interesting. As an attacking midfielder, he’s expected to be efficient in creating for his teammates. But with 0.36 assists per 90 recorded, he is actually outperforming his expected assists by 0.29.
Despite this, he has mustered 1.45 chances per 90. This suggests that while he is creating chances, most are not quality goalscoring opportunities.
The stats tell us that Price is an excellent goal threat and is on track to have his best-ever goalscoring season. However, improving his creative output could take his impact to the next level.
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