West Bromwich Albion go into this set of Championship mid-week fixtures desperate for a win, with the Baggies experiencing a sticky patch of form of late in the second tier.
Carlos Corberan’s men went the entirety of October without picking up an elusive three points, but the very start of November did see West Brom race into a 1-0 lead away from home at Luton Town, only for Tahith Chong to fire home an equaliser to secure a share of the points for the Hatters.
Therefore, the Spaniard in the Hawthorns hot seat must be contemplating some changes for his side’s clash with Burnley tonight, which could include dropping Jed Wallace for some new blood to shine against Scott Parker’s equally up-and-down Clarets.
Wallace's form this season
Wallace has learnt the hard way that he’s no longer a guaranteed name on his manager’s teamsheet, with only two starts coming his way this campaign in the Championship to date, after starting 35 clashes in total last season.
His poor displays when he has started haven’t helped his cause either, with the experienced 30-year-old way off the pace against Luton last time out.
The former Millwall midfielder would only amass a lacklustre 22 touches of the ball at Kenilworth Road, with the bite and energy that’s usually apparent in the versatile West Brom number seven’s game also missing, with just one paltry duel won from nine attempted.
Also failing to complete a single dribble, alongside failing to test Thomas Kaminski with a single effort on goal, it wasn’t a huge surprise when Corberan hooked off Wallace just after the hour mark to put him out of his misery.
Unfortunately, the 30-year-old’s best days in a Baggies strip could now be behind him, with free-kick strikes like this one managed against Rotherham United just last season a distant memory, compared to his dire performances in the here and now.
Corberan could well be forced into playing a different attacking midfielder behind Josh Maja for the test of Burnley tonight, therefore, with John Swift an adequate replacement for the underperforming Wallace.
Why Swift should replace Wallace
Funnily enough, Swift was purchased in the exact same transfer window Wallace also entered the building, with the ex-Reading man still showing glimpses of his quality in a Baggies kit now three seasons deep into his stay at the Hawthorns.
Although he also has zero goals and assists next to his name like his former Millwall counterpart in league action, Swift was desperately unlucky versus Cardiff City the match before the away trip to Luton to not pick up a goal contribution.
Stat
Swift
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Expected goals (xG)
0.15
Expected assists (xA)
0.51
Touches
116
Accurate passes
90/94 (96%)
Key passes
4
Big chances created
1
Shots
3
Coming away from the game with four key passes under his belt, after amassing a ridiculous 116 touches as a key creative spark for his side, it’s safe to say the 29-year-old was desperately unlucky not to come away from the 0-0 affair with anything of note.
Instead, he was surprisingly dropped for Wallace, which is a decision his manager must now regret, having seen what the out-of-sorts midfielder offered in place of the “talented” ace, with that label given to him when he still was at Reading by ex-Royals manager Veljko Paunovic.
Also capable of scoring sublime strikes like this one for his side, having tallied up 16 goals from his 102 appearances to date in the West Midlands, Swift’s re-entry into the starting XI could see West Brom play more on the front foot against Burnley.
With the Clarets also wobbling in terms of form, with no wins in their last three, Corberan could sense this is a good opportunity for his team to get back on the horse, as Swift potentially returns to his XI.
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