Carlos Corberan will need to get his West Bromwich Albion team selection correct.
Corberan must abandon and release “unbelievable” West Brom star vs. Saints
West Bromwich Albion cannot afford another anonymous performance up front this Friday night, as the Baggies must win against Southampton to advance to the Championship playoff final.
That might entail some tough decisions from Carlos Corberan, particularly regarding Brandon Thomas-Asante, who has previously struggled in front of goal in high-pressure situations.
The former Salford City player only made four correct passes and had one shot at Alex McCarthy’s goal in the 0-0 draw before being replaced with nine minutes remaining.
It is doubtful that Thomas-Asante will be given the same luxury of 81 minutes on the field at St. Mary’s, maybe slipping out of the starting lineup entirely against Russell Martin’s hosts.
Despite Thomas-Asante’s poor season, Southampton will have a striker capable of scoring in the second leg. 17-goal star Che Adams may return from a niggle to play in the crucial match.
West Brom will be aware that they will also need to carry their shooting boots, which may result in Thomas-Asante being sacrificed.
Thomas-Asante’s stats pale in comparison to Armstrong and Adams throughout the final ten games of the regular season, with Armstrong even bettering his goal total while mostly playing on the flank.
The misfiring 25-year-old never looked like scoring a crucial goal in the first leg, being shut out of the game by the likes of Taylor Harwood-Bellis at the back for the visitors, with only one successful dribble attempt from three pulled off, on top of his failure to test McCarthy with notable shots.
It’s a concerning drop-off from an attacker who is still the Baggies’ leading scorer this season, with 11 goals, but desperate circumstances sometimes extreme methods.
Jed Wallace may even be given the opportunity to start as a lone striker on the South Coast on Friday, having enjoyed success there earlier this season despite being more suited to prowling along the flanks.
