With the arrival of Daniel Sturridge on loan for the rest of the season, Alan Pardew now has a decision to make when it comes down to who starts in midfield and up top in his West Brom side.
In Saturday’s disappointing defeat to fellow strugglers Southampton, a 4-4-2 formation was applied with a midfield consisting of Matt Phillips, Gareth Barry, Claudio Yacob and Chris Brunt with Salomon Rondon and Sturridge up top. It’s safe to say it didn’t work and the Baggies looked much more of a threat going forward when Yacob was replaced with Oliver Burke midway through the second half.
If fit, Grzegorz Krychowiak would have started ahead of Yacob, and he undoubtedly offers more support to the strikers than the Argentinian does, but I personally feel that if we are going to give ourselves any chance of survival, Pardew needs to start being much braver with his team selections from now on in.
He needs to throw caution to the wind and make a genuine attempt to win every game. For me, one of those defensive midfielders needs to be sacrificed for a more attack minded player.
I have taken a look the six players I would love to see start in front of the defence. Playing this six against one of the big boys may be a bit too ambitious but against anyone else, I feel it’s a must in order to get those points on the board that we so desperately need.
Left Midfield – Chris Brunt
Brunty has been one of our best performers since Pardew took over and has been rolling back the years of late with some accomplished displays on the left side of midfield. His wand of a left foot is as good as it ever was, proven by the two assists he gained in Saturday’s defeat at home to Southampton.
Right Midfield – Matt Phillips
This was a tough call as Phillips, for me, hasn’t been playing anywhere near his best in recent weeks, and with Burke looking lively when coming off the bench, he needs to ‘up his game’ if he’s to retain his starting spot. When on form though, he’s undoubtedly a very important attacking outlet for us.
Defensive Midfield – Grezgorz Krychowiak
There was talk of the PSG man being sent back to his parent club towards the end of last year due to a fairly un-productive first half to the season. However, the Polish midfielder has looked every bit a top class player since Pardew took over and was greatly missed in the defeat at home to Southampton.
Attacking Midfield – Jay Rodriguez
J-Rod has been our standout performer in recent games which is why it was such a surprise that he was dropped for the crucial game against Southampton. We looked much more threatening going forward when he came on at the weekend and I can’t see Pardew making the same mistake again and not including him.
Striker – Salomon Rondon
Yes, he’s not clinical enough, but what he lacks in finishing, he more than makes up for in his hold up play and work rate. He brings others into play superbly and he is great at turning hopeful balls into promising situations for the team. I think he and Sturridge could form a promising partnership together. I just hope they do it quickly!
Striker – Daniel Sturridge
Sturridge will have undoubtedly been assured of a starting berth from now until the end of the season and he showed glimpses of his ability in the game against Southampton. I feel as soon as he gets his first goal, more will quickly follow and his prowess in front of goal is the perfect foil for Rondon’s hustle and bustle.