West Brom v Middlesbrough - Match preview
Tomorrow’s visit of Middlesbrough is Albion’s final fixture before the closing of the transfer window next Friday.
It can be an odd period; beginning the season some time before a squad is finalised, be it key additions or departures.
It almost feels like a state of limbo. ‘Don’t take these results too seriously’ or ‘it’s hard to fully judge yet before the squad is complete’.
The truth is both of those statements have a small element of truth but are also wide of the mark. The start of a season, even a handful of games before the end of the window, can shape the next nine months.
Teams expected to do big things can trip up. That is unlikely to be terminal for the big-hitters after just a few games, with so long to make up ground. Look at Albion and Boro’s revivals last season under Carlos Corberan and Michael Carrick after replacing Steve Bruce and Chris Wilder.
Tomorrow’s visitors from the north east have endured another rocky start this term. Last season’s beaten play-off semi-finalists are second-bottom and yet to win after three games, taking just a single point. That’s not an ideal opening but Boro, without last season’s influential top scorer Chuba Akpom who has joined Ajax, will fancy themselves to turn things around with new additions in the next week.
