Fabian Hurzeler's team of two halves still have much to prove against Wolves
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So far the Albion’s season is almost playing out like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, we never know what we’re actually going to get.
Newcastle on Saturday, another case in point. Let’s get this week’s cliche out fairly early on. But given the level of competition there are probably no easy games in the EPL, and with Newcastle up there with Albion on 12 points from 7 games at 3pm, any kind of points on the board at St James’s Park would be a positive.
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Hide AdA widely shared observation, or actually observations, are that the Albion are not only at various times this season, slow starters, it’s almost like they’ve become a team of two halves.


The Everton, Chelsea and Spurs games a case in point. But a welcome caveat to that is under Fabian Hurzeler the Albion haven’t conceded a goal after 70 minutes in all eight games so far, so some consistency creeping in there as well.
It was Newcastle that came out of the blocks on Saturday, and within the first 15 minutes it was pretty evident to even the most biased Albion fan (of which at numerous times down the years I fall firmly into the category) that in was going to be a long afternoon for the Seagulls on Tyneside.
But then the ever unpredictable Albion, after weathering the Newcastle onslaught, opened the scoring on 35 minutes when the evergreen Danny Welbeck made it five goals from eight outings.
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Hide AdAnd then, just like that, the Albion effectively metamorphose into their footballing alter ego. After 34 minutes of backs to the wall stuff, the Albion play out the first half and then the entire second half with a confident, assured performance. Light years away from the gung-ho defensive first half performance at Stamford Bridge and the equally worrying first 45 minutes against Spurs at the Amex a couple of weeks ago.
Obviously, to reiterate Hurzeler has hit the ground running. An interesting question from one of my travelling companions on Saturday, in that what would Roberto De Zerbi have recorded with this group of players over the last eight games?
Personally, I don’t think there would have been a lot of difference in the current 15 point haul, but the visit of Wolves this Saturday does throw up another ongoing challenge.
RDZ and even Graham Potter before him for that matter almost had at times an Amex ‘Achilles heel’ against lesser sides, Potter still holds that unwelcome EPL record of failing to beat all three relegated teams, home or away in a single campaign.
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Hide AdAnd Hurzeler has already had experience of this apparent albatross with the goalless draw with Ipswich at the Amex and with the greatest respect, Wolves sit firmly into that category, of teams the Albion need to consistently put to sword at the Amex.
Whilst even with that apparent failing, European football was secured two seasons ago, to further strengthen Albion’s European ambitions that facet of our game needs to change, starting on Saturday. Especially in light of of the fact that after Wolves this weekend, it’s back to back EPL matches at Liverpool and the visit of Manchester City to the Amex respectively.
By the very nature of the Albion rollercoaster, there are both positives and negatives. It was extremely worrying to see the talismanic Welbeck stretchered off on Saturday and let’s hope his return to first team action isn’t too far away.
But on the flip side, Even Ferguson getting much needed game time is important to the Albion’s attempt at securing another European adventure, as will be the much-needed return of Joao Pedro.
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