West Bromwich Albion have had a mixed start to the Premier League campaign, being placed ninth in the league table after seven games with nine points. A 4-2 win over West Ham United followed by a draw against Stoke City, it would not be unfair to say that they have been unpredictable and inconsistent at the same time, particularly after their latest encounter where they drew against Sunderland by a one-all score line.
During the process of their toil so far, club’s prime striker Salomόn Rondόn has bagged plenty of appreciation from the various nooks and corners for his colossal display up front, that too without much of assistance coming to his from his fellow teammates.
Rondόn’s case at the Hawthorns is a rather curious one.
Signed from Zenit Saint Petersburg in the summer of 2015 for a club-record fee of £12 million, the hostility of the league ensured that Rondόn doesn’t see the heydeys very soon. The onus to prove his capability and capacity rested on his shoulders. Yes, he did take time to find his feet but he has indeed started to make his price tag worth it.
The 27-year-old front man has accumulated three goals, bagged an assist and created eight chances from seven league appearances so far, cementing his place in Tony Pulis’ tactical nous. Slowly but surely, he has started to deliver and impose himself as a massive threat for the opponents both on and off the ball. However, the lack of genuine support on a serial basis is what hindering his full-fledged level of offensiveness in the final third which is something that is bothering the likes of James Morrison (who is a massive fan favourite) as well.
The Venezuelan international has shown glimpses of a decent level of output from him as a consequence of being fetched in the attacking zone, but worryingly it is the dearth of the assistance to the striker that can put the Baggies in doldrums this season. Many a time, his plea for feeding him the ball in the right areas and at the right times has fallen to deaf ears which is one of the negatives which Pulis has failed to address so far. The crosses, through balls or genuine support to him inside or around the box, has been wayward which deters their invention of making an impact after going forward on the pitch.
So far this season, Rondόn has led the line powerfully and has clocked an impressive shot accuracy of 33% which is why he is looked upon as one of the better finishers in the league. Sadly, the absence of severe quickness, creativeness, skilfulness and directness from the majority of Pulis’ midfield pack might derail Rondόn’s chances to finish the season as one of the top scorers if the necessary tactical ramifications are not made in due course of time.
Statistics Credits: Squawka
