Tony Mowbray defends bold Daryl Dike decision at West Brom | OneFootball

Baggies boss Tony Mowbray defended his decision to bring Will Lankshear on over the American in their defeat to Norwich.

West Brom boss Tony Mowbray has explained why Daryl Dike didn’t appear off the bench in last weekend’s defeat to Norwich City, suggesting the American has to be eased into high-octane action after such a lengthy spell out with injury.

After another fortnight of training under his belt, Dike must have been raring and ready to go when Albion returned to Championship action in East Anglia, but the former Barnsley man didn’t feature off the bench at all as the Black Country outfit chased for a winning goal.

Instead, West Brom slipped to a heartbreaking, late defeat to the Canaries, after Josh Sargent struck in the 92nd minute to send the Carrow Road crowd into pandemonium.

The Baggies remain in the top six on goal difference but will need to have a consistently impressive run of form during the last seven games to remain there, with critical clashes against Sunderland, Bristol City and Coventry City all to come in such a short space of time.

The decision not to get Dike on the pitch at Norwich was met with some criticism online, with many believing his physicality and aerial presence are a huge positive for Albion’s current style of play.

Despite the critics, the 61-year-old Mowbray has come out and defended his decision, citing a main reason for his preferred choice of Will Lankshear at Carrow Road.

Tony Mowbray says Daryl Dike wasn’t ready for such a high-tempo game

As reported by the Express & Star, Tony Mowbray backed his own decision to leave Daryl Dike on the bench, believing the frontman wasn’t suited to the tempo of the game after such long spells away from the game due to injury.

Mowbray said: “Every substitution can get questions, that’s no issue from me.

“We thought Lankshear’s athleticism and legs was better in that sort of game, because it was a high-intensity football match for us.

“That was the change. I think Daryl has missed nearly two years of football and I’m not sure he could do the running side of this game that Lankshear could do and definitely what Armstrong could do.”

Tony Mowbray’s verdict of Daryl Dike will be a concern to West Brom supporters

From what Tony Mowbray revealed, it isn’t inspiring to hear from a West Brom fan’s perspective, with Daryl Dike unlikely to be starting games in a blue and white shirt any time soon.

It’s particularly frustrating given Adam Armstrong’s struggles to lead the line since joining on loan from Southampton at the turn of the year, with a forward with a bit more height and physical capability needed to help Albion become a more free-flowing team in attack.

You can understand from Mowbray’s perspective why Dike isn’t being pushed too hard, but the Baggies are in desperate need of extra options given Will Lankshear’s lack of impact and Josh Maja now being ruled out until potential play-off games.