Eric Ramsay axes Charlie Taylor in four changes – West Brom predicted XI vs Derby County
West Brom are in desperate need of a win when they travel to Pride Park to face Derby County on Friday night.
West Brom suffered an embarrassing 5-0 loss to Norwich City at The Hawthorns on Tuesday, and they have to bounce back quickly ahead of the trip to Derby.
Eric Ramsay lost his first West Brom game 3-2 to Middlesbrough, and although there were positive signs that he could oversee an upturn in form, fans are becoming increasingly disconnected with the team.
The Baggies sit 19th in the Championship table, and Charlie Taylor could be among those to be dropped from the team as Ramsay looks to make four changes to the starting lineup.
Samuel Iling-Junior to drop to the bench, Alex Mowatt and Jayson Molumby to be recalled
Max O’Leary signed for West Brom on Thursday, although due to him not having much time to bed in with his new teammates, there’s a good chance he won’t start against Derby.
Both Alex Mowatt and Jayson Molumby came on against Norwich, and they’ll be expected to resume their places in the team.
As a result, Callum Styles could replace Samuel Iling-Junior at left wing-back, while Krystian Bielik might drop into defence in place of Taylor.
Iling-Junior has been slammed for some of his performances this season, and Styles is much better suited to play that position.
| Stat | Iling-Junior |
| Appearances | 22 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Pass accuracy | 76.0% |
| Chances created | 14 |
While Taylor is left-footed, his performances have been dreadful, and fans won’t be pleased if he manages to start a third successive game under Ramsay.
Aune Heggebo was surprisingly dropped on Tuesday, and it would be incredible if he doesn’t start up front against Derby in place of Karlan Grant.
The last change could see Josh Maja drop out of the side for Jed Wallace.
Wallace has arguably been West Brom‘s most impressive player in the last two weeks, and he came on for Maja at half-time in the loss to Norwich.
Ramsay may turn to him to play on the right wing, with Mikey Johnston starting on the opposite flank.
Although there could be a huge change in personnel, Ramsay has addressed the questions over his tactical setup.
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Eric Ramsay remains clear on his style of play
Under Ryan Mason, West Brom played in a 4-2-3-1 formation, but Ramsay has the Baggies set up in a 5-4-1/3-4-3 shape.
It’s clearly been ineffective, and so many players are playing out of their comfort zones at the moment.
In his press conference on Thursday, he said: “We’re not going to see huge swings from game to game in terms of how the team plays.
“Ultimately, I have a vision that I think will stand the team in good stead in the long run.”
Having a head coach who is stuck in his ways usually doesn’t end well, and there are a number of alarming signs that we’ve already seen in his first two games.
Isaac Price is not a wing-back, and it’s baffling to see one of West Brom’s most creative players shoehorned into a defensive role on the right-hand side.
A loss at Pride Park against an impressive Derby side certainly won’t go down well with the supporters, and Ramsay will have to make wholesale changes to his side if he wants a chance of securing his first win as West Brom manager.
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