Worrying Ryan Mason trend needs to be fixed – West Brom fans will be showing deep concern | OneFootball

Ryan Mason’s defensive tactics have cost Albion on the road already this season, and it has to change.

West Brom head into the international break off the back of a dismal display at Millwall.

The Baggies followed up their narrow victory at Norwich City in midweek with a tepid performance at The Den, resoundingly beaten 3-0 courtesy of strikes from Jake Cooper, Femi Azeez and Zak Sturge.

It was an alarming thing to witness for both the supporters and boss Ryan Mason, with an inconsistency of results beginning to creep in again that led to the Black Country outfit failing to reach the play-offs last term.

The ex-Tottenham Hotspur coach slammed the performance as unacceptable and something he doesn’t want to see again while in the Baggies dugout, as his side mustered just one shot on target all afternoon.

But the boss hasn’t exactly been helping himself with his team selections. The Albion faithful were left frustrated by a similar showing at Middlesbrough when Mason opted for a more defensive approach, and it could be argued that the lineup chosen for the Millwall clash was destined for defeat before a ball was even kicked.

Some of Mason’s changes from their 1-0 win in Norfolk were peculiar to say the least, and it’s something the head coach will have to learn from and change if he wants to see his side firmly remaining in the promotion conversation.

Ryan Mason’s West Brom tactics called into question

Despite being far from their best away at Norwich in midweek, West Brom dug in and grinded out an impressive result, with positives to take from some of the displays on show at Carrow Road.

From this, it would have been expected for Ryan Mason to have kept changes to a minimum in order to keep the upwards momentum going, but instead some rather surprising tweaks were made when the teamsheet was published at quarter to two.

Josh Maja and Samuel Iling-Junior dropped to the bench to be replaced by Jed Wallace and Aune Heggebo, while Alex Mowatt was also demoted to the sidelines as a full debut was handed out to Manchester United loanee Toby Collyer.

But the switches in personnel had a damning effect on both the performance and the result, as Albion failed to get a grip of the swirling conditions in East London courtesy of Storm Amy.

Over the course of the 90 minutes, the Baggies were so blunt in the forward areas, failing to trouble Lions goalkeeper Steven Benda with one testing effort all game, while the Albion backline crumbled and conceded a couple of soft goals to add insult to injury.

The Baggies were so lightweight in midfield without the presence of Mowatt, while the side lacked the electric spark that Iling-Junior has offered recently against Leicester and Norwich.

Meanwhile, Heggebo failed to add a physical presence up front when leading the line, with Maja dropped and unable to add to his tally after getting off the mark in midweek.

It’s now two away games where Mason has offered a more conservative approach and got no points to show for it, with Albion supporters bound to be frustrated to see a negative brand of football that isn’t effective.

Ryan Mason must find his best West Brom XI quickly

When delving into some of Ryan Mason’s most recent team selections, there are some glaring issues that need to change.

Despite an eye-catching display at right-back against Stoke City when he kept Sorba Thomas quiet, summer arrival George Campbell hasn’t looked comfortable in that position at all for a while now.

As a natural central defender, he should be providing cover to Nat Phillips and Chris Mepham, allowing Alfie Gilchrist to be handed opportunities after previous second-tier experience with Sheffield United.

It was realised how important Mowatt is to the system, too, when he was omitted on the weekend, keeping the ball ticking over with his technical ability.

Collyer’s attributes just didn’t suit the physical demand that the Lions' test provided last weekend, so while Molumby would have been the better partner for Mowatt due to his energy and grit in the middle of the park, a Mowatt and Collyer duo should be considered over the long-term, with the Man Utd loanee able to get further forward in a box-to-box role to show what he can offer while the ex-Barnsley man sweeps up the play in a deeper position.

Further forward, Jed Wallace’s numbers in the blue and white stripes have simply been nowhere near good enough to command a starting spot for a promotion-contending team. Iling-Junior already has as many goals as the club captain in five fewer matches this term, and at just 21, surely had the stamina to play two games in three days.

Up front, Josh Maja has proven pedigree of finding the back of the net regularly and is likely to score a lot more goals than Aune Heggebo, although playing them together in a front two could be the answer, as the Norwegian’s dogged work-rate partnered with Maja’s silky link-up play and devastating eye for goal could be the key to getting the team more free-flowing in attack.

These are all changes Mason should be thinking about and looking to implement as he ponders Albion’s latest setback over the international break. If this doesn’t happen, then the Baggies will be in danger of slipping down the table and having a mountain to climb to get into the top six, as the side currently just can’t score enough goals to be competitive.