Alex Mowatt hopeless, 2/10 even worse – West Brom player ratings vs Swansea
West Brom suffered a grim start to the new year as they were defeated 1-0 by Swansea City.
Ryan Mason‘s side slumped to a ninth consecutive away defeat at the Liberty Stadium on 1 January, equaling a club record set back in 1973.
Jay Fulton scored the only goal of the contest, as Ousmane Diakite was robbed of the ball and the Swans man hammered home from range.
The result leaves Mason’s position as West Brom boss under even more scrutiny, as the Baggies slip further away from playoff contention.
Alex Mowatt not up to it in West Brom loss
Alex Mowatt has not been up to his usual West Brom standards since returning from injury against Bristol City on Boxing Day.
The veteran midfielder has been a reliable presence in the engine room for Ryan Mason, but he struggled against the Robins, Queens Park Rangers and now the Swans.
The 30-year-old failed to create a single chance at the Liberty Stadium, and had a total of just 30 touches, per Sofascore.
Defensively, he made one tackle, one block, one interception and five recoveries, but he was particularly bad when it came to duels.
Mowatt won just one of the three ground duels that he attempted, for a 33 per cent success rate and did not contend a single aerial duel before he was replaced after 59 minutes.
He needs to get back to his best and quickly, if Albion are going to have any chance of rising up the table, towards the playoffs.
Samuel Iling-Junior even worse as West Brom flop woeful
Samuel Iling-Junior has struggled to get going since joining West Brom on loan from Midlands rivals Aston Villa.
The ex-Juventus prospect has not won over many supporters at The Hawthorns, with many wanting him to be sent back to Villa Park.
He was put into promising positions against the Welsh side, but failed to convert his chances, recording two shots on target but no goals.
One of them seemed easier to miss as Mikey Johnston’s effort deflected off Karlan Grant into his path, and he could not get enough contact to prod past Lawrence Vigouroux.
He also failed to create chances for his teammates, completed none of the four crosses that he attempted and lost possession 11 times in a dismal showing.
How West Brom players rated vs Swansea
Joe Wildsmith – 5
George Campbell – 4
Nat Phillips – 5
Charlie Taylor – 4 (off for Dike, 87)
Callum Styles – 4
Alex Mowatt – 3 (off for Molumby, 59)
Ousmane Diakite – 5
Samuel Iling-Junior – 2 (off for Price, 79)
Mikey Johnston – 5
Karlan Grant – 5
Aune Heggebo – 4 (off for Maja, 59)
Substitutes:
Jayson Molumby – 5
Josh Maja – 5
Isaac Price – 5
Daryl Dike – N/A
Enjoyed this article? Stay connected with all the latest West Bromwich Albion news, updates, and behind-the-scenes content by following us on our new Instagram account – @westbromnews247