Ryan Mason only has himself to blame as damning Championship stat emerges
West Brom are one of the leakiest sides in the Championship towards the end of the second half.
West Brom conceded late against Birmingham City in a 1-1 draw in the Championship on Wednesday.
This comes after West Brom suffered a 3-2 defeat to Coventry City last week, following a Jayson Molumby red card.
The Baggies have now won just one game in their last seven league matches in what has been a pitiful couple of months at The Hawthorns.
Ryan Mason has second-half defensive issue to solve
Ryan Mason has come under pressure at West Brom, and it is easy to see why.
Albion have now conceded seven goals in the last 15 mins of games this season, according to Albion Analysis via X on 26 November.
In the Championship, only Millwall have conceded more goals in the closing stages.
Alex Mowatt fired the Baggies in front inside 15 minutes at The Hawthorns on Wednesday.
This reflected the Baggies attacking strength in the first half:
- Albion took seven shots in the first half to Birmingham’s three
- West Brom has eight free-kicks to their opponents’ three
- Three of their shots were on target while Birmingham recorded just one
However, as it usually has been this season, the second half was far more open.
- Birmingham took 11 shots to Albion’s eight
- The away side recorded 0.90 expected goals (xG) compared to West Brom’s 0.41 xG
- Three of their shots were on target compared to the Baggies’ one
This all took place despite Albion being the better defensive side, having won 54 per cent of their total duels and 82 per cent of their tackles, according to Sofascore.
As a result, West Brom’s attacking threat in the second half is a problem Mason only has himself to blame for and will need to resolve soon.
Ryan Mason’s man-management is a problem
There is a lot to be said about Mason’s man-management at Albion.
Albion are the third-best first-half team in the Championship, but they are the third-worst second half team.
This could be seen in West Brom’s defeat to Coventry, when Samuel Iling-Junior replaced Mikey Johnston at the start of the second half despite him being their best player on the pitch.
While Molumby’s red did not help, taking the sting out of the Baggies’ attack proved costly.
Mason’s second-half substitutes against Birmingham struggled to make an impact, and in the 79th minute, some would argue that they were fielded too late.
All in all, the former Tottenham midfielder’s in-game management is becoming an issue that could see Mason depart Albion before the end of the season.
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