West Bromwich Albion will be hurting after a chastening 4-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City but it is not this particular loss which will be increasing the creases on Tony Pulis’ forehead. West Brom were never expected to light up the league with their attacking football and they have more or less not broken barriers on that front.
Pulis has built a reputation of setting up compact teams who seldom give you easy openings to score and oppositions know they have to be supremely patient to find an opening which Pulis is hell bent on not giving to you. His sides are lacking in adventure but he makes that up with his defensive acumen. Although, he is the ideal boss for a team who are content being strictly mid-table and a fan set who are happy with survival and don’t care two hoots about the style of football their teams play.
While the Baggies do appreciate the difficulty of breaking into the top 10 and staying in and around that mark, there have been calls for a slightly more attacking philosophy from the man who is averse to doing exactly that. But they have looked to attain a balance in that regard and the signings of Phillips and Chadli point to the fact that he is willing to try out a more uniform approach.
The jury is still out on whether the new approach is working or not but the league position of 16th is certainly a cause of concern for the Baggies. They have looked capable of drawing against the teams in and around them in the table but have failed to show any signs of causing an upset in the near future. Thus, the need to apply the finishing touch in the winnable matches has become important now.
With the margin of error minimal, according to the latest reports West Bromwich Albion are reportedly considering a bid for Adrien Silva. The Portuguese midfielder was supposed to be plying his trade in England already but his move to Leicester City fell through at the last minute.
The Baggies have recently been taken over by a Chinese conglomerate and they are willing to invest in the January window itself to strengthen the first team. The 27-year old will certainly add creativity in the centre of the park. His dribbling skills and his range of passing will certainly add another dimension to the team. Rondon has been impressive up top and Nacer Chadli seems to have fit like a glove. He can complement the two stand out performers and if Pulis can extract the maximum out of the three, West Brom will be a far better side.
The Sporting CP captain has been playing for the Portuguese National team since 2014 and helped them lift the Euro 2016. His experience will be invaluable and the prospect of a fresh challenge at the peak of his career will tempt the player and enable him to try and prove himself in a new League.
West Brom seem to have identified the missing jigsaw in their attack and while there have been murmurs about the transfer fee of the player, Tony Pulis can certainly do with a player of Silva’s calibre.
