Comment: New decisions for West Brom boss Tony Pulis to make
Thanks to a successful summer in the market, Tony Pulis now has the strongest squad at his disposal since he arrived at The Hawthorns.
Suddenly, he has almost two players for every position, and there are decisions to make over a team that has, for too long, practically picked itself.
With Gareth McAuley currently the only doubt for the weekend, Pulis’s starting line-up at Brighton will give a huge insight into his preferences.
At the back, it would be no surprise if club captain Jonny Evans was immediately reinstated to the heart of defence now the dust has settled on the transfer window and he’s returned from injury.
After the opening three games, it would have been harsh to drop either Craig Dawson or Ahmed Hegazi, but the big Egyptian’s error at home to Stoke last time out has given Pulis an excuse to make the change.
Not that he needed one. Regardless of what took place over past few weeks, Evans now needs to be welcomed back to the fold.
He’s too important to the team, both on and off the pitch, to not be. And his comments in the last matchday programme and after the window shut about being the club captain and ‘getting on with it’ suggest there will be no problem with his attitude.
For the first time since he joined from Manchester United, Evans should be lining up alongside a recognised left-back.
Kieran Gibbs came to the club for minutes, and the England international is expected to replace Chris Brunt on Saturday.
The long-serving Northern Irishman will now provide competition for James McClean and Jay Rodriguez on the left wing as well as cover at left-back.
McClean offers relentless energy and direct running, Brunt offers a wicked delivery and calmness in possession, but unless Rodriguez is preferred up front, he will be favourite to start because he offers that crucial goal threat.
Hopefully the battle brings out the best in all three, but it could be a decision that depends on the nature of the opponent.
There is a more recognised hierarchy on the other flank, where Matt Phillips is out-right first-choice and Oliver Burke – despite costing £15m – is an understudy for now.
‘Be patient’ said Pulis, when the 20-year-old arrived from RB Leipzig. He is a signing for the future.
The most intriguing decision for Pulis lies in central midfield, where he has a wealth of options.
Away from home, his central trio is likely to include Grzegorz Krychowiak, Gareth Barry, and Jake Livermore, with the veteran midfielder holding in a 4-1-4-1 while the other two are charged with getting up and down.
The only concern is that, while Albion are well-blessed with holding midfielders, they lack a dynamic box-to-box presence.
It will be interesting to see if Pulis thinks Krychowiak can do that job, and if so, how the Paris Saint-Germain man who is traditionally a defensive midfielder responds to such a task.
At The Hawthorns, where the onus is on Albion to play, Pulis may need to switch to a 4-2-3-1 and play a recognised number 10 in the form of James Morrison or Nacer Chadli.
Morrison is currently above Chadli in the pecking order, and the Belgian hasn't played a minute of Premier League football so far this season after refusing to go on the pre-season trip to Austria.
On his day, he can be brilliant, and he could flourish with two holding midfielders behind him, but he needs to re-prove himself to Pulis.
Up front, Hal Robson-Kanu serves the last game of his three-match ban, which means it’s a straight shoot-out between Salomon Rondon and Rodriguez.
Rodriguez was left too isolated away at Burnley, and even though there are huge question marks around Rondon’s finishing, that game at Turf Moor proved it is no easy task leading the line on your own in this team away from home.
Rondon has his limitations, but he has strengths too, and with the right midfield behind him and willing to get near to him, he could be far more influential.
Matt Wilson’s first choice XI (4-2-3-1): Foster; Nyom, Dawson, Evans, Gibbs; Barry, Krychowiak; Phillips, Chadli, Rodriguez; Rondon.
