As the old axiom goes attack wins you games, defence wins you titles. Those words were spoken by legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson, and they have proven to be true on countless occasions. A robust defence can also provide form balance to a not-so-impressive attacking output – a description that fits all too well for West Bromwich Albion, who are currently fifth in the EFL Championship with 12 games remaining in the regular season.
The Baggies’ best asset this season has been their ability to keep clean sheets – of their 16 wins this campaign, 12 of them have featured a clean sheet for Carlos Corberán, with his side collecting an impressive 15 clean sheets in total in league competition this season. Their attacking output has failed to live up to the same standards – 49 goals is not woeful, but it is the worst goal return in the current top six, and a few teams in the bottom half of the table have bettered it.
This scout report will provide a tactical analysis of the defensive set-up at West Brom – shedding some light on the tactics used by Corberán when his side doesn’t have the ball. After all, it could be the difference-maker if the Baggies are to make a sensational return to the Premier League. The analysis will utilise key data to provide insight into their defensive performance, accompanied by game examples.
Formation & defensive personnel
As you can see, 4-4-2 has been the prominent formation for the Baggies this season, with Corberán looking to use his side’s defensive attributes as a catalyst to improve on last season’s ninth-place finish. 4-4-2, a shape seen less and less each year, it seems, can provide a strong balance, tactically speaking, while also allowing for fluidity between the thirds. Corberán has also turned to 4-2-3-1 in some games – the fundamentals generally remain the same; it’s just a matter of positional presence.
The defensive tactics utilised by WBA require good unit cohesion as they look to cut off passing lines and block potential access points, which is why they rank surprisingly low in certain defensive metrics that relate to individual actions, like defensive duels. That unit cohesion requires good tactical understanding from each player as well as a range of other psychological attributes to consistently contribute in line with the club’s tactical philosophy. Interestingly, West Brom have the second-oldest team in the Championship with an average age of 27.9 – perhaps an important contributing factor to the cohesion and tactical understanding due to player experience.
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