Ryan Mason may have perfect West Brom trick up his sleeve to beat Coventry
West Brom will have a difficult time against Coventry City, but Ryan Mason's previous wins indicate that victory is possible.
West Brom travel to face Coventry in the Championship on Saturday.
This comes after West Brom triumphed in a 2-1 victory over Oxford United before the Championship paused for the November international break.
Mason came under pressure at West Brom after four winless games in the league, but the win against Oxford has given Mason time to show just why he was appointed as manager to start with.
Coventry dominate West Brom in almost every metric
It is easy to see why Coventry are leading the Championship and are ahead of West Brom by 13 points.
The Sky Blues dominate almost every attacking statistic:
- Coventry have netted 40 Championship goals
- This is 14 more goals than Ipswich Town in second
- The Sky Blues have created 46 big chances this season
For reference, Albion have created 23 big chances this season and have netted 14 goals, according to Sofascore.
This is the third-lowest tally for chances and the fourth-fewest for goals in the league this season.
Frank Lampard's side are also a stronger defensive team:
- Coventry have conceded 13 goals this season, which is the fourth-fewest
- They have conceded 0.9 goals per game thus far
Meanwhile, West Brom have conceded 13 goals, which averages to 1.1 goals conceded per game. This is the sixth-fewest in the Championship.
Interestingly, Coventry have recorded more saves per match, which indicates that an efficient attacking side could penetrate their defence.
However, Albion are an inferior attacking side, so this wouldn't be an option for Mason on Saturday. Despite this, Mason will likely have a few tricks up his sleeve to defeat the Sky Blues.
Ryan Mason thrives without possession
West Brom's win over Oxford was the first time Albion have won in the Championship when averaging more possession.
The two sides have averaged a similar amount of possession this season: Albion have had 53.5 per cent while Coventry have averaged 53.2 per cent.
However, the Sky Blues have steadily built up their possession average since their win over Portsmouth last month. As a result, there is a good chance that Coventry will play for possession on Saturday.
This puts Mason in the best position possible, where the Baggies can sit back, withstand the pressure and counter efficiently, as they have done during most of their victories this season.
It's a unique situation, but if done correctly, it will demonstrate exactly why Mason is the right man to lead West Brom this season.
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