BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Brendan Galloway of West Bromwich Albion during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion at Vitality Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Adam Fradgley – AMA/WBA FC via Getty Images)
The Baggies are now Premier League regulars. Now, can they score enough to make an imprint in 2016-2017?
West Bromwich Albion coach Tony Pulis has a very simple system: defend at all costs and when you have a crack maaaaybe try and score. It is a system that frustrates opponents because it is like playing against a turtle or the Spartan formation of ancient Greece. It is also a system that is not exactly the most appealing to watch in the stands or on television.
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But it is incredibly effective. Despite being outmatched in every offensive category last season The Baggies pulled out enough results (thanks in part to their stout defense) to comfortably stay afloat in the Premier League (10-13-15, 43 points).
Now the question is for this side is if they just repeat last year’s performance or do they try and actually mount some attacking efforts. It really is a gamble. After seven years in the Premier League WBA have developed a system that much like Stoke City (which is interesting considering Pulis also coached The Potters) leads them to almost always finish right around the ten spot.
Playing outside of that system might give them a better chance to think beyond just survival, but it leaves them susceptible to dropping matches that they might have drawn in the past.
These are very interesting times at The Hawthorns so let’s not waste any more time and let’s get to the three hopes and one fear of West Bromwich Albion.
WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND – AUGUST 28: Salomon Rondon of West Bromwich Albion during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough at The Hawthorns on August 28, 2016 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/WBA FC via Getty Images)
Hope #1: That Salomon Rondon has finally solved his scoring woes.
Baggie supporters were greeted with a rare sight on matchday one this season: a Salomon Rondon goal. After a difficult 2015-2016 campaign in which he scored just nine goals, the Ecuadorean international kicked off the new season the right way with a strike in the 79th minute that lifted his side past Crystal Palace.
WBA need more of that from Rondon. The Baggies scored just 34 goals last season which was second lowest among all Premier League sides. Even Newcastle, who were relegated, were able to score ten more goals than Albion. If they are to stay up this season then they need to score more than 34 goals and they need to get more out of Rondon.
The club did attempt to ease the load off of Rondon this offseason with the acquisition of midfielder Nacer Chadli. Chadli isn’t exactly a prolific goal-scorer (he scored just three goals last season in the Premier League) but he has shown that he can create opportunities for others. His passes into space and crosses are some of the best in the Premier League and should help Rondon out in getting space into the box to work with.
WALSALL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 31: West Bromwich Albion Signing Allan Nyom at West Bromwich Albion Training Ground on August 31, 2016 in Walsall, England. (Photo by Matthew Ashton – AMA/West Bromwich Albion FC via Getty Images)
Hope #2: That Allan Nyom can get minutes at right-back.
Nyom was one of Albion’s biggest signings in the off-season inking a deal worth around reportedly 4 million pounds. The Cameroon international comes to the Hawthorns after having made 32 starts for Watford last season.
The hope is that Nyom can come into this side and immediately add some energy. West Brom’s back four of Jonas Olsson (33), Johnny Evans (28), Gareth McAuley (36), and Craig Dawson (26) is one of the most experienced back fours in the Premier League.
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But as evidenced by their slide late last season they did not have the legs to pull out a consistent effort throughout the entire season. Nyom should provide excellent depth this side and give some of their older players a bit of a reprieve late in the campaign.
Keep an eye on Brendan Galloway as well. Galloway was signed to a season long loan from Everton and is considered to be one of the top young defenders in English football. The 20 year old made 17 appearances for The Toffees last season and showed that he has all of the skills necessary to earning consistent minutes with a Premier League side. Under Pulis’ tutelage he should gain a great deal of experience that will help the Baggies this season and put him on target towards fulfilling his potential.
WEST BROMWICH, ENGLAND – AUGUST 28: Craig Gardner of West Bromwich Albion during the Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough at The Hawthorns on August 28, 2016 in West Bromwich, England. (Photo by Sam Bagnall – AMA/WBA FC via Getty Images)
Hope #3: That Craig Gardner can play a bit more of a role in the attack.
Since coming to The Hawthorns at the start of the 2014-2015 season Craig Gardner has served as the heart and sole of the West Bromwich Albion midfield. Alongside Darren Fletcher, Gardner has steadily become one of the most consistent center mids in the Premier League. His passing and vision make him an excellent Pulis midfielder, someone who can always find his teammates in open spaces around the pitch and can kill the clock.
Well all of that is well and good he hasn’t really shown himself as a midfielder who can build attacks. With Fletcher 32 years old no Gardner needs to start taking over some of his responsibilities and show that he can be a midfielder that can play on both sides of the pitch. He has shown flashes of what he can do as a center attacking midfielder but he has yet to do it over a long stretch of time.
Part of the problem is Pulis. The Pulis style allows for very little deviation from the system and can at times pigeonhole players to certain positions. It is almost as if they are fixed points on the map and unable to move in any real direction. While that makes them difficult to break down, for players like Gardner it means that they have very little opportunity to show what else they can do assigned from their very rigid tasks.
BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Tony Pulis, Manager of West Bromwich Albion reacts during the Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion at Vitality Stadium on September 10, 2016 in Bournemouth, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
The big fear: That the Tony Pulis saga will wear on without any resolution.
Managers come and go in the Premier League. Particularly in recent seasons it seems as if teams are all too happy to quickly remove their managers at the drop of a hat and move on to the next one. Ditto from the perspective of managers whose contracts are meaningless at this point. Yes, football is a business but it is a bit sad that both sides really cannot settle down for a few seasons to build a program.
Case in point: Tony Pulis. Pulis, who has coached nine teams in his twenty-four year career, is one of a few coaches who seems like as soon as they sign a deal with a club is looking towards their next side. On Thursday, Pulis gave the dreaded “I won’t leave the club” speech which is only slightly more ominous than the dreaded vote of confidence by ownership towards a manager under fire. Different party, same message, same fear from supporters that matters off of the pitch will affect play on it.
At the heart of the issue seems to stem from West Bromwich Albion’s lack of offseason signings. Aside from Nyom and Chadli the club did very little to upgrade the roster and now faces a Premier League where teams above and below them are making use of their extra 40 million pounds in television revenue. This “Pulis getting upset at management for not spending money” also occurred at Crystal Palace prior to the start of the 2015-2016 season and led to his dismissal.
In the end what is most important is the performance on the field. West Bromwich Albion need to find a manager that is willing to play within the budget that they have. If that is Tony Pulis, great. But if it is not then the club needs to move on and not let this situation linger. Albion are not like Chelsea, Manchester City, or Manchester United, sides that can deal with the drama off of the pitch and still achieve results because of their depth. A bad coaching decision and the side may find themselves out of the Premier League.
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