Ryan Mason must make ruthless Isaac Price decision at West Brom after evidence vs Millwall
West Brom endured a chastening afternoon as they were beaten 3-0 away at Millwall on Saturday.
Goals from Jake Cooper, Femi Azeez and Zak Sturge condemned the Baggies to defeat in East London, as they suffered their third league defeat of the new Championship campaign.
Toby Collyer was a bright spark for West Brom throughout the 90 minutes, despite being part of a poor team performance.
The Black Country outfit simply didn’t create enough during the game, and one man may pay the price as a result.
Isaac Price should be benched for West Brom vs Preston North End
Isaac Price has caught the eye for West Brom so far this season, but his performances have noticeably dipped in recent weeks.
The attacking midfielder notched four goal contributions in the opening three league games, but has since failed to contribute a goal or an assist in the following matches.
The 22-year-old is a high-quality technician at second tier level, but Ryan Mason will undoubtedly be a little concerned by the displays that he has turned in recently.
| Stats | Price Total | Game Rank |
| Touches | 40 | 14th |
| Accurate Passes | 17 (65%) | 15th |
| Key Passes | 1 | =5th |
| Successful Dribbles | 1 | =7th |
| Duels Won | 2 (40%) | =18th |
| xG | 0.06 | 6th |
Price struggled to make things happen in the defeat to Millwall, as he completed just 67 per cent of his passes throughout proceedings.
The Northern Ireland international is relied upon to be his side’s main creative outlet, but he managed just one key pass and one successful dribble at The Den.
His showing on Saturday was indicative of his recent form, and it is fair to suggest that he could potentially benefit from starting on the bench against Preston North End next time out.
Mason has made some strange decisions in terms of team selections of late, and he needs to be ruthless now where Price is concerned.
Isaac Price struggles will test Ryan Mason’s man-management
Price is undoubtedly a huge talent at West Brom, but things just aren’t coming off for him at the moment.
He is stuck in a mini-rut in terms of his performances, and that will test Mason’s resolve as the boss in the coming weeks.
The 34-year-old will need to show his man-management abilities at The Hawthorns to ensure that the starlet regains the confidence that he was playing with in the early weeks of the campaign.
Price’s situation is far from a full-on crisis for the boss, but he needs to try and reinstate some belief in his star man if he wants to get the best out of him again.
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