Albion blog: Achilles Heel

Will the real West Brom please stand up?

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After giving Southampton a two goal lead, we battled back with another two goals from the excellent Robert Koren, yet, as soon as we had equalised, our Achilles Heel was exposed.

This team, like last season, cannot defend set pieces, which is hard to explain, when our manager and assistant manager were centre halves themselves in the not too distant past.

Last season I believed we often lacked height in the team for certain games, and consequently struggled to defend high balls into our box, however, Mowbray signed a number of 6ft plus players during the summer including, Miller, Brunt, and Hoefkens, all of whom played on Saturday.

Even when we trounced QPR, we managed to concede off a set piece, and it is no minor point to be made when set pieces are an important part of the modern game.

Individually the defence is playing well, and defending set pieces requires team co-operation, and this maybe the problem.

With so many new players settling in, and Mowbray rotating players and formations so regularly, maybe we are suffering from a lack of defensive cohesion.

In the last two games we have also witnessed how reliant we are on Kevin Phillips, his goals and more importantly his link up play between midfield and attack are vital to the way we operate.

It has also become obvious that Beattie cannot play this role, he doesn't have the touch and vision required and has not impressed me at all so far this season.

We need more options up front, and our physio may just become the most important man at the Hawthorns across this international break, we need Phillips, Slusarski, and Bednar fit, as soon as possible.

Baggies fans what do you think? Have your say below