Five West Brom lessons learned in Leicester defeat

1 ALBION CAN’T BUY A GOAL

Gareth McAuley summed it up best, Albion just can’t score at the moment. Saturday was the fifth consecutive league game in which the Baggies have failed to find the net, something that had never happened before in the history of the club. Taking an even wide view, they have now drawn a blank in seven of their last eight games. Albion had their moments against the Foxes but at the moment things are simply not falling for them and confidence, particularly on the forward line, looks low.

2 NACER CHADLI’S FORM REMAINS INDIFFERENT

It is Salomon Rondon who is currently bearing the weight of criticism for Albion’s goal drought. The Venezuelan has now failed to score himself for 19 games and on Saturday was responsible for the error which allowed Jamie Vardy to bag the game’s only goal. But of equal concern has been the drop in form of record signing Chadli. The Belgian looks a shadow of the player who netted four goals in his first six appearances. There is no question he has the quality yet but for now the Baggies are struggling to get the best out of him.

3 FLETCHER MISSED

In many ways the biggest talking point of Saturday was Tony Pulis’s decision to leave skipper Darren Fletcher on the bench in the Premier League for the first time in his Baggies career. The Scotland international, who is yet to agree a new contract, had made 86 consecutive appearances prior to that and it is fair to say Albion missed his influence in the middle of the park. They were certainly improved once Fletcher was introduced as a 69th minute substitute but by then were fighting to get back in the game.

4 TOP-HALF FINISH IN DANGER

Having held eighth place in relative comfort for the past four months, Albion now find their position under serious threat from the chasing pack, who are massing up behind. The Baggies are now only six points clear of 16th-placed Crystal Palace ahead of a tricky run-in and while it is unlikely they will fall as far as that, dropping into the bottom half of the table is now a real danger. Whichever way you look at it, that would prove a wholly unsatisfactory end to a season which for so long promised so much. Reaching 50 points is also looking a big ask.

5 HAPPY HOMECOMING

Former Baggies player and coach Craig Shakespeare enjoyed a successful return to The Hawthorns, as the promising start to his managerial career continued. The 53-year-old has won six Premier League games out of nine since replacing Claudio Ranieri on an interim basis and this win all but confirmed the Foxes’ safety. “It’s always nice coming back,” he said. “I’ve come back to watch as a supporter and as a coach. I was pleased with the warm reception, but I wouldn’t like to leave with my tail between my legs.”