Why Blackpool's sluggish defeat to West Brom was another midweek game too far for Michael Appletons weary men

No-one can argue West Brom didn’t deserve their win, they were the only side that ever looked remotely like scoring at any point in the game after all.

But boy, this was a tough watch.

The Baggies, clearly low on confidence following a desperate run of three straight defeats and just one win in 13, were there for the taking.

Their fans, who used the encounter as an opportunity to vent their frustration at their owners, were ready to turn at any given moment. Had Blackpool managed to edge their noses in front, things could have turned nasty.

But the Seasiders just didn’t have it in them. Their energy levels, once again, just weren’t there.

Midweek woes

This is starting to become a worrying trend now. After a big physical effort at the weekend, be it in the derby against Preston or against Coventry on Saturday, Michael Appleton’s men then struggle to follow it up a few days later.

We saw it against Hull City a couple of weeks ago and we saw it again at the Hawthorns on Tuesday night.

For that reason alone, it’s hard to be too harsh on the Blackpool players. This wasn’t them anywhere near their best.

We’re used to witnessing them cause teams plenty of problems, creating chances for fun. But the visitors failed to produce a single shot on target all night long.

Their expected goals return (xG) of 0.15 is pitiful, but not a surprise when you consider they struggled to even work their way towards the West Brom box, never mind carve open an opportunity when they got anywhere near it.

This wasn’t a fault of any individual player, tactics or a system, it was just another game too far for the Seasiders. The fact they don’t really have the ability to rotate their squad without a big drop-off in quality isn’t helping matters at this moment in time either.

Middle of the park

It was abundantly clear to anyone watching that Blackpool couldn’t get to grips with the game in midfield.

It was a concern of mine before the game even got underway given the absence of Charlie Patino, given his ability on the ball, and a more defensively-minded player who can break up play.

Kenny Dougall has been fantastic playing as a number eight in recent weeks but back in the six role he struggled. He was far from the only one, mind, but Appleton is extremely limited in that area of the pitch.

A fit and available Liam Bridcutt, or dare I say it a Kevin Stewart, would have made a big difference in this game. But the midfield three of Dougall, Callum Wright and Sonny Carey always seemed a yard or two off it.

West Brom dominated possession as a result (I was actually expecting the stats to be higher than 64 per cent) and had Blackpool camped in their own half for the majority of the game.

This is where Appleton will be frustrated because, for the large part, his side looked relatively comfortable in their defensive shape and appeared quite happy for West Brom to have the ball in front of them.

But you knew the hosts would always get one chance. All it would take is the ball to bobble the wrong way, take a slight deflection or the backline to switch off for just one moment. There’s only so long you can sit and defend before you give up an opportunity.

Unfortunately, that proved to be the case five minutes from time when a corner was flicked on at the near post, despite two Blackpool players going for the same ball, resulting in a simple finish for the unmarked Okay Yokuslu at the back post.

Lack of concentration

As I started this piece, you can’t say it wasn’t deserved. But the manner of West Brom’s goal will have been the most frustrating thing for Appleton and his charges.

For all of the home side’s dominance of the ball, it’s not like they were constantly banging on the door though. An xG of 0.72 tells its own story.

They lacked quality throughout as well and were clearly down on their dumps given their horrid start to the campaign. But Blackpool just couldn’t capitalise.

Even when Appleton threw caution to the wind at half-time by introducing Shayne Lavery and effectively going 4-2-4, the visitors still couldn’t maintain any pressure.

They had a spell of five or 10 minutes but nothing came of it. They just weren’t able to.

At that point, you’re looking towards the bench for other options to join Lavery but the personnel wasn’t the issue, it was just an all-round malaise from back to front that meant they wouldn’t have scored had they been playing all night long.

Response

Given their impressive recent form, this is only their second defeat in seven, remember, you would expect this just to be a blip.

They’ve bounced back before from these types of games and gone again at the weekend, which is exactly what they’re going to have to do on Saturday against a physical and robust Luton Town side.

There’s no need to panic or overreact at one defeat, especially when it’s against a side that are clearly in a false position at this moment in time.

As average as they were on the night, Carlos Corberan’s side are bound to steer clear of danger in the coming weeks and months. They have too much quality in their squad not to do so, especially now they have a talented boss in charge.

As for the Seasiders, they need to find a way to go again. It’s another quick turnaround, but that’s the Championship for you. It’s relentless.

Three games now remain until the World Cup break, which couldn’t come any sooner for Appleton’s tired and weary men.