This article is part of Football FanCast’s Off the Bench series, which places in-game managerial decisions and squad selections under FFC’s microscope.
West Brom’s impressive unbeaten start to life under Slaven Bilic in the Championship finally came to an end on Tuesday evening.
They faced their toughest test yet in Leeds United as Marcelo Bielsa’s men hold the best defensive record in the division, having conceded just five goals in ten matches.
The Whites came out on top with a 1-0 victory and leapfrogged the Baggies to first position in the table as Ezgjan Alioski’s deflected strike rebounded off Kyle Bartley into the bottom corner.
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Albion had their chances, however, particularly in the second half as they put intense pressure on the home side by recording over 70% possession for the final half an hour of the match.
But Bilic’s men just couldn’t find a way through and one vital decision undoubtedly contributed to that.
Snapshot
In the 62nd minute, the Croatian made a double substitution.
On came his fellow countryman Filip Krovinovic and £8m summer signing Kenneth Zohore for Hal Robson-Kanu, who had made his first start of the season, and Matty Phillips.
Now, the Welshman’s contribution was weak considering he was dispossessed twice on top of picking up a yellow card but Phillips, on the other hand, was frequently looking like a potential source of trouble for Leeds.
Off the Bench
Krovinovic has shown previously why there are better options at the club with Matheus Pereira beginning to make that number ten position his own.
If Bilic thought he would have an impact that’s understandable, but Phillips shouldn’t have been withdrawn if they genuinely wanted to stage a comeback.
Per SofaScore, the 28-year-old registered 91% passing accuracy, two successful dribbles, and one key pass.
This would suggest he was a persistent threat along the right flank and considering he’s on for a career-best year under the stewardship of the Baggies boss, it was strange to see him substituted.
Phillips has scored four goals and assisted one more so far this season which makes him the top scorer amongst the West Brom squad – someone you should want on the pitch.
He was also handling his defensive duties well and against a team of Leeds’ style, that’s only a good thing.
The winger won six of his seven ground duels and made four tackles, which could mean he often got the better of his opposite number Alioski.
