West Bromwich Albion will look back at Saturday night’s game with Manchester United as a failure. This was a chance for Albion to lay down a marker to other clubs harbouring European ambitions by grabbing a result against an in-form United side.
But ill-discipline and frustration marred the game after a promising start. The referee, just like against Watford a fortnight ago, seemed to miss a lot of holding on Salomon Rondon and the Venezuelan couldn’t get to grips with the impressive United centre-half pairing of Phil Jones and Marcus Rojo. This wasn’t the masterful Rondon we saw midweek against Swansea – rarely had the Hawthorns seen such a dominant target man display – United dealt with him impeccably.
Credit must go to the visitors, and of course, they were going to be much harder task than the hapless Swansea. Their counter attacking play was destructive, precise and when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was in full-flow, he seemed unstoppable.
In contrast, Albion didn’t retaliate with the skill and quality that has given them three consecutive home victories. Overall, it was a strange and forgettable night for the Baggies. But before the away trip to Arsenal, what have the Albion fans learned from this fixture?
Olsson should be dropped
Simply put, the worst defensive display I’ve seen under Tony Pulis. The Swede’s play resembled Diego Lugano at points it was that terrible. He was lethargic, indecisive and clumsy. His embarrassing mistake against Swansea warranted him to be kept on the bench in my opinion and his performance against his compatriot Ibrahimovic clearly vindicated it.
Jonas should be saluted for his service to the club – he is a true modern Albion icon – but for me, he’s played his last game.
We need younger defenders
This game proved Albion need more defenders in order to cope with the physicality of world class strikers.
Gareth McAuley is having a great season, as is Jonny Evans, but when the latter isn’t fit, the Baggies need a better replacement than Olsson. Craig Dawson is naturally a centre back but whilst Pulis plays him at right back, Albion need to snap up a more mobile defender in January. A new left back also wouldn’t go amiss to provide extra service to Rondon.
Don't fix what isn't broken
Wednesday night provided some simple but beautiful West Brom goals. Chris Brunt provided two exquisite crosses in from left back and Rondon dispatched them with distain.
Brunt as a right winger has worked so far this year, but it prevents him from putting crosses in. When you score three goals from quality delivery into the box, it seems obvious to pick a team and formation that will do just that. Pulis opted for the side that had picked up results against less defensively organised teams and it backfired.
WBA need to play to Rondon's strengths
Rondon cut a frustrated figure on Saturday night. Credit must go to Jones and Rojo, they gave him nothing, but their job was made easy. The service, especially from the central defenders, was shockingly bad. When the ball did come his way, there was no one around him to offer a simple ball
Nacer Chadli didn’t have his best game at his new club, but when Albion play long ball it’s difficult for him to influence the match. I sympathise with both Chadli and Rondon, it’s easy to see their class when Albion play short passes and when quality crosses are whipped into the middle but last night Albion panicked in possession. No wonder Rondon lashed out.
Leko needs game time
The Baggies are spoilt for attacking midfielders at the moment. Brunt, Matt Phillips, Chadli and James Morrison have all been phenomenal so far this season, not to mention James McClean who can barely get a look in, despite hardly putting a foot wrong.
Now just like against Manchester City, Jonathan Leko was given a short stint to take on the full backs and produce a bit of magic. He troubled Aleksandar Kolarov in late October, and he made Matteo Darmian look like an amateur on Saturday evening too. If he can do it against some of the best full backs in Europe, why not give him a cup run and the odd start? It’ll be important to keep Leko grounded, but he could be one of the best players of his generation with his raw pace and skill.