West Bromwich Albion v Leeds United; The Hawthorns, Saturday 17th August 2024, 12.30pm
The Baggies make their Hawthorns bow this campaign with the visit of Leeds United in another Saturday lunchtime fixture. Daniel Farke’s side were among the pre-season favourites for promotion but opened their campaign with a draw with newly-promoted Portsmouth, salvaged thanks to a stoppage time equaliser, before a much-changed side was beaten 3-0 at home in the Carabao Cup by Middlesbrough on Wednesday.
Like Albion, Leeds have endured a summer of departures with star players such as Crysencio Summerville, Luis Sinisterra and Archie Gray sold for big money with another eleven players also leaving the club. Further bad news for Farke has emerged this week when it was announced that Brighton had met the £40m release clause for Georginio Rutter which would leave another big hole in the squad. On the incoming side, Joe Rodon has moved permanently to Elland Road having been on loan from Spurs last season while Jayden Bogle has joined from Sheffield United and Joe Rothwell has moved on loan from Bournemouth. It would seem safe to expect that some of the millions that have been realised in transfer fees will be reinvested before the month is out, so it could be a good time to play them.
The optimism amongst Baggies fans following the excellent 3-1 win at QPR last weekend took something of a hit on Tuesday as a weakened side fell to fourth tier opposition to exit the Carabao Cup. While the league was always the strong priority, progression in the cup competitions is always useful if only to give fringe players an opportunity to play competitive football. Corberán’s decision to make eleven changes from the starting eleven at Loftus Road was indicative of his priorities but, when Albion took an early lead, it certainly looked as if the team was strong enough to win the game.
Indeed, I felt that the team played reasonably well on the whole – Harry Whitwell, in particular, impressed in the middle of the field while Caleb Taylor looked solid alongside Paddy McNair at the back. Diakité should some good feet and strength in tackle, albeit he didn’t look overly quick, and Cole, Faal and Dobbin were lively up front although they found it difficult to find a way through a very well organised Fleetwood defence. Two mistakes cost Albion in the end, although both goals were very well taken, and, as the substitutions disrupted the flow of the match in the second half, the visitors looked less likely to find a way through as the game went on. All in all, there were some promising displays but it was a disappointing result.
Looking forward to Saturday, I don’t think anyone did enough on Tuesday to force their way into the starting line up so I would expect to see the same eleven that kicked off the season in west London. It was an eleven that performed well with a number of noteworthy performances, in addition to the obvious standout display from the hattrick hero. The left side of the Albion side was particularly impressive with new signing Torbjørn Heggem dovetailing well with “like-a-new-signing” Karlan Grant.
Grant, who has been much maligned by Albion fans following his disappointing 2022/23 season, remains Albion’s top league goalscorer over the past three seasons thanks to his tally of 18 in 2021/22. Only recent departure, Brandon Thomas-Asante, can come close to Grant’s 21 (who scored 3 in 2022/23) with 18 in his two seasons, with only Swift (15), Wallace (12) and Diangana (13) making it into double figures in the period with Grady the only one of those to have played for Albion in all three seasons.
While one decent performance is little to go on, there were plenty of noises coming out of the club about how sharp Grant has looked in pre-season and, if he can become something close to the player we thought we had bought (which was a wide forward rather than a central striker), he will be a very welcome addition to the squad. With Dobbin and Diangana as his obvious competitors for the slot on the left side of the front line, he will need to perform well if he is to retain his place over the longer term.
I don’t expect the back four to change for Saturday, but there will be some decisions to make for Corberán as McNair and Fabrotta build up their match fitness. Furthermore, I presume he is also looking to sign some competition for Furlong at right back. It is up to the incumbents in defence to make any changes difficult to make – last weekend was a decent start.
Competition is also needed further forward. Diakité is obviously one option in the middle of the park as cover for Molumby and Mowatt, but another face may well come in, albeit Harry Whitwell did his chances of league involvement no harm at all at Fleetwood on Tuesday. Diangana and Wallace will be fit soon to challenge for attacking midfield slots, but centre forward options remain thin on the ground until Dike is fit again. It was interesting that Devante Cole played as a wide forward at Fleetwood with Faal playing through the middle, and I feel sure that Corberán will be keen to bring in another central striking option before the end of the month.
For this weekend, he will have to go with what he has and an unchanged line-up seems the most likely. Can Albion produce another good performance and pick up another three points? Leeds seem vulnerable at the moment so there is every chance that the Baggies can take advantage and make it two wins from two. Let’s hope so.
History
For the second time in their history, Albion face Leeds in their first home league game of a new season. The previous occasion was the first ever Premier League game at the Hawthorns in August 2002 when the visitors, then managed by Terry Venables, ran out 3-1 winners thanks to goals from Harry Kewell, Lee Bowyer and Mark Viduka. The Baggies goal, their first ever in the Premier League, was scored by the oft-forgotten Lee Marshall – his only strike in a brief 10-game Hawthorns career. United were a class above Albion that day, but within five years they were languishing in the third tier.
The Baggies did the double over Leeds in the 2006/07 season as well as knocking them out of the FA Cup as the Whites were relegated to League One, and the clubs then went more than a decade without meeting until a resurgent Leeds under Marcelo Bielsa met a newly-relegated Albion under Darren Moore. Big Dave drew first blood with a 4-1 victory at the Hawthorns in November 2018 which dislodged United from top spot but, in the return fixture at a boisterous Elland Road the following March, the hosts led inside 16 seconds and went on to win 4-0.
That season, both sides failed in the play-offs before both being promoted the following campaign after Project Restart, but Leeds remained undefeated against the Baggies until December last year when Grady Diangana’s goal was enough to claim all three points for Carlos Corberán against his old club.
The intervening period produced Leeds’ biggest ever win at the Hawthorns, a 5-0 thumping in a behind-closed-doors Premier League fixture in December 2020. Albion’s best win over the Whites was way back in October 1934 when the legendary Ginger Richardson scored four as the Baggies won 6-3.
Stat Attack
Current Form
Albion | L | W | D | L | W | L |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Leeds United | L | D | W | L | D | L |
All competitions; most recent game on the right
Last matches
Last meeting
29 Dec 2023 – League Championship
West Bromwich Albion 1 (Diangana)
Leeds United 0
Albion’s Record against Leeds United
Overall | Home | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | D | L | F | A | P | W | D | L | F | A | ||
League | 82 | 30 | 17 | 35 | 111 | 127 | 41 | 21 | 6 | 14 | 69 | 55 | |
FA Cup | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | |
League Cup | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Total | 92 | 34 | 20 | 38 | 125 | 142 | 45 | 24 | 7 | 14 | 76 | 57 |