Ryan Mason may have just saved West Brom job with bold call in Hull City defeat
Ryan Mason couldn’t have done much more with his team selection against Hull City on Saturday.
West Brom were beaten 1-0 by Hull at the MKM Stadium, which meant the Baggies failed to win back-to-back matches in the Championship.
Isaac Price was called out for missing a sitter for West Brom in the first half after Karlan Grant put the ball on a plate for the attacking midfielder.
Nat Phillips was at fault for giving away a penalty at the end of the first 45, which Ollie McBurnie had no trouble in converting from.
Albion have slipped further down the table following the loss, and more pressure may be place on Mason’s shoulder as a result.
However, the 34-year-old got one selection in particular spot on.
Ryan Mason made brave call with Callum Styles
Callum Styles has featured predominantly at left-back during his time at The Hawthorns, but has shown the ability to play in defensive midfield at his previous clubs.
Mason decided to play Styles in midfield ahead of Jayson Molumby, and although the Baggies lost, the Hungary international may have been the best player on the pitch.
- Styles received a Sofascore rating of 7.2 against Hull, and was the highest-rated player to have seen out the 90 minutes for Albion
- He drew four fouls
- Styles won 6 of his 9 combined ground and aerial duels
Styles has been praised for his footballing intelligence before, but it’s hard to recall the last time that the 25-year-old put in such a positive shift for West Brom.
If there were any positives to take from an underwhelming loss, it was this for Mason.
It’s more than just a team selection choice, though, as Mason has proved something which he hasn’t shown enough of so far as Baggies boss.
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Mason proves his ability to adapt
Many have suggested that Mason is a stubborn head coach, and while he may stick to a similar gameplan most of the time, he is trying to find new solutions for Albion.
He wasn’t exactly helped by Shilen Patel in the summer, and is having to make use of what he has got.
Yes, Aune Heggebo is turning out to be a good signing, but the quality of personnel at West Brom has arguably decreased since last season as a result of this summer’s business.
Thankfully, Mason’s lightbulb moment looks to have given Albion another option in an area which has been widely discussed, not for the right reasons, this season.
It was a tough result to take, and Mason certainly has plenty of flaws, but his team selection was spot on against Hull and it was the players who let him down.
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