West Bromwich Albion return to action in the Championship after the first international break of the season as they travel away to face Bristol City this afternoon.
What was West Brom’s last result?
The Baggies head into the match today off the back of a disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Huddersfield at The Hawthorns at the start of this month.
Jack Rudoni scored a 96th-minute winner for the away side, after John Swift had equalised for Carlos Corberan’s men, to secure all three points for Neil Warnock.
West Brom are currently sat 11th in the Championship table with two wins, one draw, and two defeats in their first five matches of the campaign, and now have a chance to move up the division with a win against the Robins.
Will Grady Diangana start against Bristol City?
In order to improve the club’s chances of coming away with all three points today, Corberan should ruthlessly ditch Matt Phillips in favour of Grady Diangana out wide.
The former Blackpool star lined up on the left flank against Huddersfield before the international break and produced a disappointing performance, which could open the door for the ex-West Ham man to come in.
Diangana is a skilful forward who could split open the opposition’s defence and provide a moment of brilliance that could win West Brom the game. Journalist Graeme Brown once claimed that he was the only player within the squad who has the “potential for magic” at the top end of the pitch.
The £25k-per-week wizard has only played 13 minutes of Championship football, which came off the bench against the Terriers, but showed signs of promise with four goals and six ‘big chances’ created in 21 league starts last season.
Phillips, on the other hand, scored two goals and created three ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 25 second division outings during the 2022/23 campaign.
The 32-year-old has scored once and created zero ‘big chances’ in five Championship starts so far this season and struggled against Huddersfield.
As per Sofascore, Phillips created one chance and completed one dribble in 90 minutes of action at The Hawthorns, whilst he also failed to produce any shots on target.
Whereas, Diangana created a ‘big chance’ and completed one dribble in just 13 minutes off the bench for the Baggies, as per Sofascore, which suggests that he had a greater impact in far fewer minutes.
The former England U21 international, who produced eight goals and six assists in 23 league starts throughout the 2019/20 campaign, appears to be more likely than Phillips to make something happen at the top end of the pitch.
When you compare their respective form since the start of last season at Championship level, Diangana stands out as the best option for Corberan on the flank in regards to offering a threat as a scorer or creator in the final third against the Robins this afternoon.
Therefore, the former Leeds United assistant must ruthlessly drop Phillips for the first time this term and finally unleash the ex-West Ham starlet from the start to allow him to showcase his talent.