Middlesbrough 2 West Brom 1 - Lewis Cox analysis - video Dailymotion

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Middlesbrough 2 West Brom 1 - Lewis Cox analysis

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00:00Disappointment then for Ryan Mason's West Bromwich Albion here in the North East in Middlesbrough

00:06on a pretty miserable Friday night for all of an Albion persuasion who made the journey,

00:12the long and slow journey to Teesside tonight. It's a 2-1 defeat for Albion here in Borough and

00:17it's a second consecutive defeat after obviously last weekend's home reversed to Derby and it's

00:22checked hasn't it what was an encouraging start to the new season and life under Ryan Mason.

00:26As I say in the first four games unbeaten with three wins and then these back-to-back defeats

00:33have obviously stunted, dented progress. Hopefully not dented too much belief from within the four

00:40walls of the dressing room and the camp but obviously slight elements of frustration from

00:46supporters at the way tonight panned out. I think we all know the story from last weekend when Albion

00:51largely dominated and controlled against Derby but were sort of sucker punch late on.

00:55Tonight, you know, and let's remember and acknowledge this is the unbeaten league leaders

01:00Middlesbrough. Rob Edwards' side tonight have made it five wins from six in a record-breaking start for

01:06Borough but Albion, I think it's fair to say we're deservedly beaten tonight. I think Borough were the

01:13better team and probably deserved winners. I don't think, and I've written this on our website,

01:18you know, I don't think it was a Borough were by a million miles the better side. I think it was

01:24clear that they were always going to have the lion's share of the ball tonight, you know, on their own

01:29patch. The way their season started with their tails up, you know, Albion on the road. I think that was

01:35always likely to be, you know, by and large the way it went stylistically maybe. I think, look, a big

01:40talking point and everyone watching this will have, you know, followed or watched the game will be aware

01:44of this. A big talking point was Albion's line-up really and the way Albion started the game. It

01:48felt like Ousmane Diakite, defensive-minded midfielder, was drafted into the starting 11 by

01:54Ryan Mason at the expense of Mikey Johnson, obviously attacking winger who likes to make

01:58things happen and Johnson did come on later and did very well. But Diakite was giving the nod

02:02to shore up that midfield, extra body in there, obviously physical presence too, to add to that.

02:07And that was a bit of the story of it really. It felt like Albion were kind of looking to do a bit

02:11maybe what sort of Derby almost did at the Hawthorns last weekend in terms of defend well,

02:17stifle, cancel out Borough and maybe snatch one on the break or hold out long enough before they

02:23bring their attackers on. But that all went out the window, it has to be said, in the 26th minute

02:28here, sorry, at the Riverside Stadium where the hosts, you know, there's been very little in it

02:33really in the game. The first minute, Albion had one of the best chances of the game as Nat Phillips

02:37was denied. But the 26th minute, as I said, one of Borough's first real raids forward.

02:42They score via a long throw, you know, a set piece of sorts, obviously. Yeah, a long throw from the

02:48left, launched in, flicked on front post header by Luke Ayling, who's not the biggest beast. I think

02:54Nat Phillips and Jason Molumby to the ball, flicks it on. And there's Borough's new striker,

02:58David Strelick, you know, unmarked in the middle there, really six yards out. He beat Hegeber to the ball

03:04to finish that. And it was just a, it's an unforgivable goal to concede, isn't it? The

03:09frustration from that, winning, you know, losing not one, but two contacts from a, you know,

03:14not even a corner, you know, a long throw. It seems all the rage again in the game, doesn't

03:18it? Long throw wins. Ryan Mason is so frustrated by that, I'm sure. Anyway, not much else to sort

03:25of write home about from the rest of the first half. But the opening goal going against Albion,

03:29you know, it always felt like it was going to be decisive the way they lined up, you know,

03:32to frustrate, have that extra body in midfield. Obviously, you know, stunts really, the attacking

03:37options on the pitch. You know, Mikey Johnson from the start, as I mentioned, always sort

03:41of a man down in that creativity front. And it puts Albion on the back foot, doesn't it?

03:45We go into half-time, we wonder, are there going to be changes? There weren't. However,

03:50you know, the first 15 minutes of that second period were Albion's best in the game. You

03:54know, they were well on top. It was not quite one-way traffic, but not far off. And they

03:58had big chances. You know, Isaac Price headed wide when he should score, really. And Jed

04:02Wallace sent one wide from just outside the box. And then Usman Diakite, of all

04:06people, had an effort well saved by the Borough keeper, Bryn. And yeah, it felt like it was

04:13coming. And Ryan Mason readied those changes. He readied Mikey Johnson. He readied

04:16Toby Collier. They were due to come on just before the hour. And then Borough go and score

04:20an excellent team goal for a second. And it feels like it kills it, really. It feels like

04:25it puts it beyond the visitors. And that was so frustrating. Because then those changes

04:28came on. And again, Johnson sparked Albion. You know, it may be easy with hindsight and

04:33all of that. I don't know. We know what the game plan was, as I've just mentioned. But

04:36you know, Johnson felt like he was Albion's most dangerous player for that final half an

04:41hour. And you know, yes, 2-0. It felt like the game was maybe over. Obviously, there was

04:45time to still get one back. Josh Madger came on. A lot of talk about him, isn't there, and

04:49where his fitness is at, when he's going to play more football. He came on with 15 minutes

04:52to go. So a bit more for him. I've asked Ryan Mason about it there. It'll be one of

04:56the stories that I'll be writing up in the coming day or two for our website. But it was

05:02a little too late. By the time that Albion did register, they did get on the scoreboard.

05:10It was just a consolation. Arna Hegeber, the striker, finally bagged, opened his league account

05:17for Albion, got his first championship goal. Which is a boost, one of the real pluses to take

05:21from tonight. I think he headed in well from Johnson's cross, just on the stroke of the

05:2590 minutes, five minutes stoppage time. They couldn't quite force another one of those

05:28openings. Yeah, and frustration. I know from responses I've seen online, a lot of, you

05:35know, disappointment and sort of bewilderment at the way Albion were lined up to start the

05:38game. But I can see why. I can see the manner of it. I think the first goal's really killed

05:42Albion's game plan almost and the way they've lined up there. A lot of people, you know, everyone

05:48has an opinion, of course, talking about the changes Mason made and when he made them.

05:52Could he have made them earlier? Could he have done them at half-time? You know, people

05:55saying why at 1-0 and not 2-0? Well, they were being prepared at 1-0, as I say. But yeah,

06:00not meant to be a hard place to come, obviously. You know, no one has beaten Borough this season

06:04so far in the league. And let's see how long that unbeaten run lasts. For Albion worked to

06:08do, of course. You know, back in action a week tonight at home to Leicester. Games get no easier

06:13do they really? Obviously, relegated Premier League side Leicester at the Hawthorns at least.

06:17But another, you know, what will be a huge game and just need to try and get back on

06:21what had been such an encouraging, positive start, hasn't it, before this momentum had

06:25been checked by the two defeats. I think there were, you know, elements of positives to take

06:29from tonight, really. I think Brian Mason said to me the decisive moments in the game

06:33and the timings of them went against Albion and Borough took them tonight and they made

06:37their opportunities count. And that's what Albion need to get better at, ultimately. Be more

06:41of a creative attacking force. And when those opportunities come, make the most of them.

06:45Plenty to come from here on this Friday night. I've got a lot of tapping up to do and coverage

06:51to bring you still. So stay tuned, expressionstyle.com for all the reaction.

Middlesbrough 2 West Brom 1 - Lewis Cox analysis

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