Credit: Tung Manh Phan/ Breaking Media

Jacob Raw

Tue 24 March 2026 9:30, UK

West Brom have seen their relegation chances improve under James Morrison, but they are still struggling at both ends of the field statistically.

The Baggies are going into the break on the back of two wins, which have catapulted them out of the relegation zone and into 20th.

Some would argue that the break has come at the wrong time, as things look to be clicking at both ends of the field.

Morrison is trying to reverse the damage that’s been left by Eric Ramsay and Ryan Mason, but with seven league games left, everything is still to play for.

West Brom’s 1-0 win over Bristol City showed more signs of improvement, but the overall underlying numbers will still worry Baggies fans.

West Brom still fourth bottom for goal difference

West Brom may just need a couple more points to stay up, as it does feel like Morrison can in fact keep this team in the Championship.

But problems are still evident underneath the surface of things, and where they stem from is the underperformance in front of goal, as well as in defence.

Now it’s easy to say that things have changed because everybody feels better from the last bunch of games, but some of the issues are still there.

As seen in the table above, the Baggies should have another eight goals to their name due to their underperformance of xG in front of goal.

That being said, despite an upturn in form recently, Albion still underperformed their xG against Bristol City, scoring one goal despite a 2.42 expected tally.

The area that Albion need to improve over the break is putting their chances away, it’s still clear to see.

Defence has improved under Morrison, these stats prove it

Now, while it’s easy to criticise and say there is room for improvement, there has been one overall big change since Morrison took the reins, and that is the defence.

Albion have conceded just two goals in their last four games, but it goes much deeper than that.

Out of those four games, the highest xG they conceded was to Sheffield United, who managed to create 1.22 at Bramall Lane.

However, Bristol City and Hull, between them, only managed to cluster up 0.49 xG from a measly 10 shots that Albion allowed them to have.

But if anything, it further shows the importance of getting it right in the final third, because Morrison has sorted things out at the back.