West Brom 4, Newcastle 2: Chris Lepkowski's big match verdict
Jan 25 2010 by Chris Lepkowski, Birmingham Mail
THE FA Cup might be a distraction for some, loved by a few or a nuisance for others but for Albion it was a test of their potential formula for league success.
Look past the competition if you can.
What did Saturday tell us? Well it suggested that Roberto Di Matteo has found a formation that works. He blew a raspberry to the FA Cup detractors and picked the strongest side he could.
There’s no way Albion can sink to the ‘Forest defeat’ levels if they are to make progress in the league or cup this season.
They needed a response. We saw the first part of that in Monday’s game at Newcastle. To prove it was no fluke Albion repeated that performance with conviction at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
And this, let’s not forget, against the team who are deemed to be the best in the division.
The five-man midfield for Albion is not a novelty. Tony Mowbray’s side used a variant of it, albeit with different personnel in certain areas. This side relies more on pace and the ability to zip the ball from A to B with more urgency. They have become a model counter-attacking side.
Newcastle won’t be sad to see the back of Albion this season. Midfield pair Kevin Nolan and Alan Smith – considered as England candidates just a few years ago – were over-run by Albion’s midfield. Graham Dorrans put them in their place, though he was helped by destroyer-in-chief Youssouf Mulumbu and the efficiency of Robert Koren, a player whose virtues are only appreciated when he is played outside of his central midfield role or left out of the team altogether.
Dorrans prospers from his colleagues’ diligence and effort.
Adept with both feet, he has the ability to run with the ball at pace.
He’s an unpredictable player from an opponent’s point of view and Albion’s five-man midfield gives him more licence to thrill. Playing variants of 4-5-1 is often, wrongly, perceived as negative.
Yet it can be anything but if played effectively, not least if it involves the movement and passing of attacking players, such as Dorrans, Chris Brunt and Jerome Thomas.
It becomes increasingly difficult for opponents to deal with, not least those at Championship level.
