17th May 2013 | Football
West Brom on the Offensive
Steve Clarke has turned to a more attacking formation in recent weeks and that needs to be taken into account when betting in a West Brom game.
With their Premier League status assured several months ago West Brom manager Steve Clarke has used the opportunity to test out some new tactics.
Having spent the first half of the season playing one striker upfront, Clarke has experimented with 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 formations, pairing Shane Long and Romelu Lukaku together in four of the last eight games.
On the face of it, a haul of five points is not a successful return, but their performances merited much more.
Alternative Form Table
Using the criteria set out in our ‘Shots On Target’ feature, each week we analyse the recent set of Premier League fixtures to see if the scorelines were a fair reflection of the games.
In their last eight matches West Brom have registered 44 shots on target, compared to 30 in the preceding eight games. That is a 47% increase, a result of the switch to a more attacking game plan.
It will be interesting to see if Steve Clarke persists with these tactics when there is more at stake but with their final game of the season against Manchester United, there could be fireworks. Romelu Lukaku is 12/5 (Stan James) to score anytime whilst strike partner Shane Long is 4/1 (Skybet) to find the net.
Odds correct at time of publishing: 11:12 17th May, 2013 but subject to change
