Now that Slaven Bilic has been appointed the manager of West Brom, the club can finally begin preparing for next season.
It’s been a long three months since Darren Moore was sacked but there are now finally positives to be had after the former West Ham boss walked through the doors.
A big rebuilding job could be on the cards at Albion this summer with up to five players potentially leaving the club according to Luke Dowling.
But with Bilic now in the hot seat, what tactics can Baggies fans expect? Here are two potential formations he may utilise.
Plan A: Four-man defence
During the Croatian’s early tenure at West Ham he played with a 4-2-3-1 formation, operating with two wingers and an attacking midfielder.
If the 50-year-old puts this plan into place it would be considerably different from what they were used to in the back end of the campaign.
After Harvey Barnes left there was a lack of creative midfielders but if Vincent Thill arrives, a player who has been the subject of interest, it could help inject some much-needed purpose into the midfield.
Also in this line up are Liam Lindsay, a defender who has caught their eye according to The Scottish Sun. He may play alongside Ahmed Hegazi who with a proven Premier League manager may now stick around despite the club needing to cut back.
This is a system that worked well for Bilic, as he managed to secure a 2-1 win against Manchester City at the Etihad when in charge of the Hammers
Plan B: Three-man defence
A plan that didn’t go so well at the Hammers was a three-man defensive system which Bilic started to utilise in his second season.
This will be a familiar system for Albion who played in a similar fashion at times under Darren Moore. However, it was rather unconvincing with the Baggies lacking many players who could actually play in the roles the formation required.
Caretaker boss Jimmy Shan also put this system in place when he was given the reins so there’s a possibility that it could return next term.
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Once again transfer targets Thill and Lindsay feature but it could leave the door open for Jonny Williams, who has been offered to the club per Wales Online.
The pair of them could be game-changing for a Baggies midfield that wasn’t particularly dynamic throughout last season.
Jay Rodriguez doesn’t feature in either predicted formation as he’s been attracting interest from Bournemouth.
