Defence has been Albion’s downfall, not attack

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Nathan Carr argues that despite the loss of West Brom’s attacking riches, it’s the defence that led them to a 17th place finish in the 2013-14 season…

Many have pointed to the obvious fact that the goals of Romelu Lukaku, Peter Odemwingie and Shane Long have not been replaced at West Brom, and this sudden decline in firepower was a significant factor in the team’s dismal 13-14 season. While this is indisputable, it would be churlish to focus purely on the goal drought and not the deeper areas of the field – where West Brom have arguably failed even more miserably.

The season just gone produced some of the worst defending I’ve ever seen from an Albion side. No communication, no solidity and certainly no familiarity as injuries to key defenders meant that the defence had to be tinkered with more times than the manager would have preferred. Continue reading