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da heads bet： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
West Brom remain unbeaten this Championship campaign after two victories and a trio of 1-1 draws – the latest against Derby County on Saturday.
Baggies boss Slaven Bilic needed a penalty from Kenneth Zohore for the second time in the space of a week to rescue a point after Martyn Waghorn had opened the scoring with a spot-kick of his own at Pride Park.
Goalkeeper Sam Johnstone was also a hero, managing to stop the Rams doubling their lead by saving a second Waghorn penalty.
Just 20 minutes into the match, Kieran Gibbs was forced off through injury having been the man to gift Derby a sixth-minute lead.
It appears as if the 5 foot 11 left-back is facing a recurring problem and could be doubtful going into this weekend.
On the Chalkboard
On Gibbs’ injury, Bilic said:
“It isn’t bad but it’s his problem, that little groin issue. It looks like it’s not a long, long one, but we are not sure about Blackburn.”
The Croatian also suggested that Conor Townsend is a more than suitable back up as he has always performed when required.
But that isn’t the case, which could leave West Brom in a worrying predicament in the short-term.
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The 26-year-old isn’t the greatest option as he was dribbled past 0.7 times last season, which was more than Gibbs at 0.5.
He was also dispossessed 0.9 times per game whilst Gibbs is averaging just 0.4 per match this current season.
In terms of passing he was still worse, averaging just 33.2 passes per game and a success rate of 74.6%. In comparison, the 29-year-old managed 47.8 passes per match and a success rate of 87.4% in his five Championship games so far this season.
Townsend was playing non-league football as recently as 2016, and with his 12 appearances in the Championship last term being the highest level he’s ever played, there are plenty of question marks over his ability based on the aforementioned stats.
After all, when Gibbs sat out a period last term, Townsend didn’t always convince. Against Bristol City back in April, he allowed Jack Hunt to sneak in behind him and score as he finished on a rating of 6.2, per WhoScored.
If required this time, he’ll need to be better.
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