West Brom’s failure to mark the return to action with all three points was tempered not only by defeats suffered by their closest rivals Fulham and Leeds over the weekend but also by the team selection Slaven Bilic was able to make.
Despite the expansion of match day squads to 20 players, the Albion manager named one that did not include names such as Chris Brunt, Gareth Barry, Kamil Grosicki and Conor Townsend.
With Albion facing eight games in 26 days between the trip to Brentford and the end of the current campaign, that strength in depth could prove pivotal.
“That’s one of the benefits we have at this club,” said defender Darnell Furlong.
“We’ve got a really strong squad and we’ve got a lot of numbers who are there to help out the team. So whoever is picked is ready to go, 100 per cent.
“You just have to try and do your best to stay in the team. Everyone can go out there and do the job, it’s just a case of what is chosen in the moment.
“A lot of things have been running through our heads the last three months, you’re thinking are we going to play again, are we not? What are they going to do with the league if we don’t play again?
“But we just had to have it in the back of our minds that we’re coming back, regardless, and the boys worked hard in lockdown.”
Birmingham manager Pep Clotet, who will leave the club at the end of the season, handed 16-year-old prodigy Jude Bellingham the chance to showcase his versatility by moving the highly-regarded teenager from wing to central midfield – a role he performed impressively at The Hawthorns.
“I wanted to see Jude play in there because he played there early in the season,” said Clotet. “In my opinion Jude can play there but as a wing he will have offensive freedom and opportunity to show his play.
“As a central midfield he needs to be very disciplined and to work hard with the other midfielder. But, he can do both.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/2zWi8aa
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