West Bromwich Albion lost for the first time in five matches in the Championship when they were beaten 1-0 by their local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.
The Baggies lost to a Fer Lopez goal after Nat Phillips played a horrendous back pass to Max O’Leary that allowed the Spaniard to pounce and score the winning goal.
Unfortunately, it was a goal that was a long time coming for the home side because they were the team on the front foot and creating chances throughout the match.
Max O’Leary made a string of impressive saves in the first half and there were several brave blocks made to prevent Wolves from going in front before the break.
West Brom’s biggest issue against Wolves
Whilst the amount of chances conceded against the Old Gold was concerning for James Morrison, the biggest issue for West Brom was their attacking play.
|
Stat |
Wolves |
West Brom |
|---|---|---|
|
Possession |
45% |
55% |
|
Shots |
15 |
7 |
|
Shots on target |
6 |
2 |
|
xG |
1.95 |
0.29 |
|
Big chances |
4 |
0 |
|
Corners |
8 |
7 |
The Baggies ended the match without a single ‘big chance’ created against their rivals, racking up 0.29 xG worth of shots in 90 minutes, whilst their opponents created four ‘big chances’.
Morrison lined his team up in a 4-4-2 shape and the two wide players, Isaac Price and Harry Whitwell, ended the match with zero chances created between them.
Phillips created a bigger chance for Fer with his disastrous pass back than any of the forward players created for their own team, which was, ultimately, West Brom’s downfall.
Morrison’s attacking players did not do enough in or out of possession to cause Wolves problems, and there should be a growing concern over the form of one of his frontmen, in particular.
West Brom have found their new Oliver Burke
The Baggies have made their fair share of blunders over the years when signing attacking players for big money. They bought Oliver Burke from RB Leipzig for £15m in 2017, and he only scored one goal in 24 matches for the club.
He turned out to be a waste of money because of his lack of impact at the top end of the pitch, and the club swapped him for Callum Robinson at Sheffield United after loan spells with Celtic and Alaves.
After the 1-0 defeat to Wolves on Sunday, Aune Heggebo, unfortunately, looks like he is on his way to becoming the new version of Burke at The Hawthorns.
Since signing from SK Brann for a fee of around £5m last year, the £5m centre-forward has failed to nail down a consistent run of form in front of goal for the Baggies.
His performance against the Old Gold was, arguably, his worst for the club to date because of his complete lack of involvement throughout his time on the pitch.
Despite playing just over an hour of the game, Heggebo came off the pitch with seven touches, averaging one roughly every nine minutes, and completed one pass.
|
Vs Wolves |
Heggebo |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
61 |
|
Touches |
7 |
|
Possession lost |
3x |
|
Passes made |
1/2 |
|
Shots |
0 |
|
Key passes |
0 |
|
Ground duels won |
0/2 |
|
Aerial duels won |
0/6 |
The 25-year-old forward also offered virtually nothing to the team as a physical outlet at the top end of the pitch, as he lost both of his ground duels and all six of his aerial battles.
It was far too easy for the Wolves defenders to get the better of him in physical contests, both on the air and on the deck, as Heggebo struggled physically and technically.
The £5m-rated striker is now in danger of becoming the new Burke for West Brom because he has only scored three goals in his last 32 appearances in the Championship, and his performance against Wolves shows that his all-round game is not making up for his lack of goals.
One of those three goals was also his handball goal against Norwich City on the opening day, a goal that earned him a two-match ban, which essentially means that he has scored two legitimate goals in his last 32 league matches.
Heggebo may end up finding himself in the same position that Burke did at The Hawthorns because the club may have to make a decision on his future if it gets to the January transfer window and he is still struggling physically and technically.
The Norwegian marksman is yet to prove that he is worth the £5m that they paid for his services, just as Burke was not worth the £15m that was paid for him, and his performance against Wolves does not suggest that his form is improving.
He needs to turn his form around and begin to deliver consistently in front of goal, or else the Baggies will have to consider his future in the coming months.