Jonny Drury is joined by Lewis Cox to preview Albion's clash with Plymouth.
Albion are looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the season when they welcome Wayne Rooney's side to The Hawthorns.
Lewis looks at Jayson Molumby's chances of playing, what Uros Racic could bring as a potential replacement, and how Rooney's Pligrims will try to combat Albion.
Albion are looking to maintain their unbeaten start to the season when they welcome Wayne Rooney's side to The Hawthorns.
Lewis looks at Jayson Molumby's chances of playing, what Uros Racic could bring as a potential replacement, and how Rooney's Pligrims will try to combat Albion.
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00:00Hello, welcome to Express The Star.com. My name is Jonny Drury. Delighted to be joined
00:12by Lewis Cox, who has been sitting down with Carlos Corberão this afternoon as Albion
00:16return to home soil to face Plymouth. Leaders Albion, shall we say, going into this game.
00:24Coxy, Albion fans will have seen yesterday the news that Jason Molumbi is again a doubt
00:31for Saturday. Would be a big blow for Albion. Would bring to an end a run of five consecutive
00:38same 11s, which is the only Football League side to do that in the 92 at the moment.
00:45If that is going to be the case, we don't really know. He was a doubt last week and he made it.
00:48He's a doubt this week and he could make it. But if not, is it Eros Rakic who's the man
00:53who will come in? Is that the sort of the gist that you're getting from Carlos?
00:58Yeah, hi Jonny. Good to see you. Did enjoy a conversation with the head coach yesterday. Yeah,
01:03a bit of a funny one, isn't it? I mean, this time last week, the pre-ports were fresh,
01:08so I actually missed that one. We were both off, weren't we? But Molumbi was rated a doubt there
01:14as well, wasn't he? With a foot. He's sort of been nursing on his comeback from the whole of
01:19last season, hasn't he? But lo and behold, he was fine for Pompey. He'd also picked up a cough
01:25scare on the train in the day before, but it was OK. Featured got through it. But Carlos told us
01:31this week yesterday when I spoke to him that actually he did feel the cough in the Pompey
01:36win and he hasn't been able to train fully this week because of it now. So, you know,
01:42rated the Republic of Ireland international midfielder a doubt, but did say, look,
01:47it depends how he's able to train on Friday and how he reacts, obviously, before that,
01:53after that and on Saturday, whether he could. It's not completely ruled out that he will feature
01:58from the start again. And to be honest, given how last week went and that Molumbi was OK to
02:03feature, he's got that real sort of grit and determination, hasn't he, Molumbi, that he
02:07you feel like if a player can play through the pain barrier, he's very much one of them.
02:12And given how the season started, the momentum, the form,
02:16the familiarity in the side, Molumbi will really want to continue, I think. So it wouldn't be the
02:21biggest surprise in the world to me if he goes again. But you wouldn't want to aggravate a
02:25cough muscle problem, wouldn't you? And would you unnecessarily? So I think I wonder whether
02:30the head coach and the sort of medical, physical staff might decide to just err on the side of
02:35caution with that. And that's the big question, Johnny. You mentioned Rakic there, the
02:39on loan Serbia midfielder. There's a lot, I think, at every baggy watching this. There's
02:44a lot of intrigue around him, isn't there? There's a lot of look. We've seen him in two
02:47cameos now from the bench. Swansea at the Hawthorns before the break and Pompey last
02:52week. And in both, he's looked excellent. Yeah, we've only had sort of 20 minute, 25 minute
02:57sample size sample sizes of him. But a giant midfielder, 6'4", 6'5". He's got this real
03:04presence, this real box to box, you know, showing signs that he wants to attack as well as
03:08sweep up. But we said, didn't we post quotes when we were doing the podcast and stuff that
03:13the technique he had on show, the footwork shows he's not just a brute force. This guy,
03:19he's got someone with real technique and I've reported there's real excitement around him at
03:23the club. So yeah, I mean, for me, if if Molumbi doesn't make it, Rakic is the obvious one.
03:29Certainly there are other options, aren't there? We know another summer signing in Diakite,
03:33Usman Diakite. We haven't seen too much of yet. Certainly hasn't been a substitute as much as
03:39others have. Just some more, I mean, Callum Stiles is a midfielder by trade, albeit, you know,
03:46Carlos has put him into play several positions, hasn't he? The summer signing from Barnsley. So
03:50not sure in that position. And again, that's another reason why you wouldn't necessarily
03:55want to risk Molumbi. But in the Irishman's defence, he's been excellent so far this season,
04:01and if he was fit, I'd want him to stay in the side as good as Rakic looks. So a bit of a
04:06conundrum, but you wouldn't want to risk him. So I sort of hope he can make it and I hope Albon can
04:11continue this trend of unchanged 11s. Pretty remarkable, isn't it? I know it's several
04:15decades since this, since Albon have been able to do this to start a season. You rightly mentioned
04:20they're the only club in the 92 who have used five unchanged 11s so far. I asked Carlos about it
04:26yesterday and Baggies fans can read on our site today what the head coach had to say about the
04:31unchanged 11. Some really fascinating quotes, I thought. So it'll be interesting to see if that
04:35streak continues at the Hawthorns tomorrow. And yeah, looking forward to being there.
04:40Yeah, it's like you say there, the options take away the risk for Corbran and the medical team.
04:47Just moving on to Plymouth, as I do, all eyes have sort of been on with the appointment of
04:53Wayne Rooney in the summer. Haven't been done too well. A really, really good win against
04:58Sunderland. They were flying up there with Albion last week, a last minute winner.
05:03Rooney's side, well his downfall at Birmingham was his side tried to play nice football and it
05:08didn't really work. You know, I imagine if he comes to the Hawthorns tomorrow and they try and
05:12play open, expansive football, Albion will probably have too much for them. What did Carlos say and
05:19what's he said ahead of the game in terms of what he's predicting?
05:23You would say so, wouldn't you, Johnny? That's sort of the opinion you'd take just on the basis
05:27of how Albion have been this season, the squad options, the attacking options Albion have,
05:31and with respect, you know, what Plymouth are, where Plymouth are. However, you know, very much
05:37right to highlight that win against Sunderland last weekend as a superb result for them.
05:41Last gasp at home, where they are stronger, aren't they, Plymouth, typically at home park. But
05:47as well as that, they picked up a couple of deep, very decent draws. I think they've drawn
05:50one against both Hull and QPR. One of those, Carlos was telling us, I think it's the QPR
05:56draw they picked up. It was also with 10 men for more than a half a football. So,
06:01you know, Corbyn's message was that I think last weekend's win for the Pilgrims sort of
06:07just opens people's eyes that these aren't just a bunch of also rams here that are there for the
06:12taking, you know, all that sort of relegation search. These are here to compete and have
06:17picked up some good draws so far and can beat decent outfits in the likes of Sunderland,
06:22who, as you say, were flying. So, but yeah, you're right. I mean, Carlos also said that
06:27this is a manager, a head coach who likes his side to very much play attacking football.
06:32And he said that this Plymouth squad has been built to play attacking football. And that's
06:36very interesting, isn't it? Because you think if Rooney comes and brings that approach to the
06:40Hawthorns, where Albion are obviously strong, typically strong, certainly in this division,
06:45you think that the baggies will have more than enough to pick off an open Plymouth side. But
06:52it doesn't always go to, you know, to sort of to script, does it? I mean,
06:57yeah, I don't think Rooney will be, what's the word, sort of duped into coming and playing a
07:04natural open attacking game. He will know, look, he's coming to the league leaders here, you know,
07:09can't just go all guns blazing at the Hawthorns, surely, and not worry about
07:15defensively because of what Albion have and how they've been this season. So,
07:19interesting to see how Plymouth changed their approach for the trip, whether they, you know,
07:24sit in a little bit more, be a bit more defensive minded and just go for that clean sheet first and
07:29foremost. It was about 12 months ago, actually, that they got a very good point from the Hawthorns
07:35in a nil-nil draw. I was thinking about that the other day. It was, I think, last October.
07:40It was very forgettable. I think from memory, I'd have to read up about it, but I think Plymouth
07:45were potentially the better side on the day, really, and missed some golden chances to nick
07:49what would have been an outstanding win for them. So, look, they came to the Hawthorns last year.
07:55Carlos was in charge, different Plymouth manager. Of course, they still had Stephen Schumacher then,
07:59didn't they? Someone who's now no longer appointed at the club he left Plymouth for. But,
08:04look, there's a different Plymouth side. I would argue a different Albion side from the one of 11
08:09months ago. Certainly a different Albion squad with who, to me, feel like they have much more
08:14about them. So, I wouldn't expect a re-run of last October with the Hawthorns. I do sort of feel that
08:21Albion will have too much, but it will be interesting to see how Plymouth come and look
08:26to take the game to them on Saturday.