Carlos Corberan took charge of his first West Brom game on Saturday but could only watch on as his side fell to a 2-0 defeat against Sheffield United, a result that leaves the Baggies bottom of the Championship.
The Spanish manager was appointed on Monday but is no miracle worker, and his side were well and truly bested by the promotion-chasing Blades at the Hawthorns.
Corberan opted to start Jake Livermore in the midfield despite his less-than-impressive performances so far this season and the 32-year-old was substituted just before the hour mark after another disappointing display, with Birmingham Live awarding the experienced Englishman a dismal 4/10 match rating.
Since signing from Hull City in 2017, Livermore has gone on to make 211 appearances for the Baggies, contributing eight goals and 11 assists.
While there is no doubt that the club captain was once a reliable player for West Brom, his performances so far this season suggest that he is now well past his best, and Corberan should consider making a big call and dropping him if he wants to get the Baggies out of the dreadful position that they find themselves in.
Should Livermore be dropped?
WhoScored has awarded the 32-year-old a woeful 6.35 average rating for his performances in the second tier so far this term, which ranks him as the 15th-best player in Corberan’s squad, suggesting that he shouldn’t be starting.
Considering the former England international earns around £46k-per-week at the Hawthorns, a figure that makes him the best-paid player in the squad, you would hope that he would be one of the star performers, but sadly he has declined to a point where he can no longer be relied upon in the Championship.
Even last season, when his season rating of 6.57 wasn’t much better, Livermore was averaging more tackles (1.9 vs 0.9), interceptions (1.1 vs 0.9) and key passes (0.5 vs 0.3) per game in the Championship, which emphasises that he is steadily getting worse.
Fortunately for Corberan, Livermore’s contract with the Baggies is set to expire at the end of the current season, but if the Spaniard harbours any hopes of a positive finish in the Championship this campaign he must ditch the club captain from his starting XI.
