Lewis Cox analysis: Misfiring Baggies need to solve final third conundrum
Albion are undoubtedly mired in the toughest spell of Carlos Corberan’s two years at the club.
Saturday’s stalemate against Cardiff at The Hawthorns felt like a familiar tale of recent weeks. The Baggies are in a winless rut that appears to have sapped confidence.
The Hawthorns certainly has not been the place to watch goals fly in this season.
Six leagues games have brought about just three goals. Corberan’s side have scored just twice in front of their own supporters – the joint-fewest in the top four divisions. In the interest of balance, Albion have only conceded once at The Hawthorns, the fewest of the 92 English league clubs.
They deserve kudos for the latter. Defensive stability is nothing new under Corberan, whose anniversary came on Friday, but it should not be taken for granted and is why the league position, at this early stage, is still a very respectable one.
On the other hand scoring goals, particularly at home but also in general, has become a real issue of late. It feels like it is a chore for this side to find the net. When you combine a wastefulness for an – at times – lack of dynamic, free-flowing style it can make for a tougher watch.
Albion are now without victory in six games and under Corberan a sequence had only been as bad as four before. Each fixture has its own story but collectively an issue in the final third has been glaring.
This latest chapter against the Bluebirds was not a chore to watch. But a profligacy in front of goal left supporters ripping their hair out as the wait to celebrate a home success, or even goal, went on.
