Recently, West Bromwich Albion has strayed from their usual determined style that once led them to hard-fought victories in the Championship. Instead, they’ve settled for three consecutive draws in the league. The single point gained from their recent match against Stoke City must have been disappointing, especially considering they had a comfortable 2-0 lead before Stoke City’s strong second-half comeback.
This downturn might prompt Carlos Corberan to consider defensive changes to address the lapses that allowed Stoke City to equalize. Darnell Furlong, usually a mainstay in the first team, might find his starting position under scrutiny after his performance fell below his usual standards in the 2-2 draw.
Darnell Furlong’s performance vs Stoke City in numbers
Only absent from Corberan’s starting eleven twice this season to date in the Championship, it could well prove to be a controversial selection choice by the Baggies manager to drop Furlong for the clash with already relegated Rotherham United later today.
Yet, off the back of such an underwhelming display against the Potters, the West Brom boss might well feel it’s necessary to give the experienced head a breather regardless when Leam Richardson’s Millers travel down to the Hawthorns.
| Furlong’s numbers vs Stoke | |
|---|---|
| Minutes played | 90 |
| Touches | 41 |
| Accurate passes | 17/24 (71%) |
| Duels won | 0/2 |
| Tackles | 0 |
| Possession lost | 14x |
| Stats by Sofascore | |
As can be seen scanning the table above, Furlong would fail to win any of his duels in the collapse away at the Potters alongside also putting in no tackles.
Losing possession 14 times also, with just 17 accurate passes notched up, Furlong’s usual calm and measured approach was non-existent with his defensive partner in Kyle Bartley also struggling against Steven Schumacher’s side.
In a bid to get his team out of their slight slump in form, Corberan could throw players back into the mix who have fallen to the wayside at the Hawthorns.
This could start with Pipa coming back into the first-team fold in place of Furlong, the PFC Ludogorets Razgrad loanee finding his minutes more and more irregular as the season drags on but might well fancy his chances of starting against Rotherham now.
Pipa as Darnell Furlong’s replacement
The West Brom manager typically prefers to rely on his established first-team players, so it would be unusual for him to make significant changes and start Pipa, who has been somewhat overlooked. However, with Martin Kelly still recovering from injury and being another option for right-back, the loanee Pipa stands out as Corberan’s primary alternative to replace Furlong.
Pipa has only had one start throughout the season since joining on loan from Bulgaria, and his most recent appearance for West Brom was in mid-March against Queens Park Rangers. Despite limited playing time, the 26-year-old defender made a positive impact off the bench during a 30-minute stint at Loftus Road, showcasing his ability with two successful duels and two tackles.
This could well end up being an inspired change by Corberan if all goes to plan, gifting Furlong some much-needed rest after being a constant fixture in his lineups all campaign long whilst boosting Pipa’s confidence at the same time.
Regardless of what team is fielded tonight against Rotherham, the alarm bells would very much start to be sounded with more panic if the Baggies can’t overcome the already relegated Millers on their own patch.
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Aondofa Vershima 
Jonathan Jonathan