Tommy Doyle should start for Wolves vs West Brom as data makes up Cesar Peixoto's mind
Wolverhampton Wanderers must give Tommy Doyle his first Championship start of the campaign against West Bromwich Albion after his cameo in the 1-0 victory against Sheffield United.
The 24-year-old came off the bench on Sunday and picked up his third assist of the season to help claim all three points late on.
The midfielder has mainly been used as a squad player by Cesar Peixoto this campaign and has played in every Championship fixture to date, but has not made the starting XI once.
Now, for Sunday’s Black Country derby, this needs to change, and Doyle must be handed a start.
Many of his stats against Sheffield United support this claim, with the midfielder giving the visitors more control in the center of the park at Bramall Lane.
This comes after Marshall Munetsi once again put in an unimaginative display against the Blades before he was taken off just after the hour mark.
Tommy Doyle must start in the Black Country derby
Against Sheffield United, Wolves looked far better once Doyle had entered the field.
Coming on in the 70th minute, the midfielder barely put a foot wrong and proved to be key in securing the victory.
According to Fotmob on 14 September, Doyle completed 93 per cent of his passes, had two shots, a 0.30 xG, created one chance, created one big chance and had two touches in the opposition box.
Therefore, not only did Doyle provide more control, but he also proved to be influential in attack.
With West Brom set to come to Molineux in form and fully motivated, having someone on the pitch who can keep control of the ball with ease would simply make sense.
Cesar Peixoto should rotate fully for Everton clash
Before the Black Country derby, Wolves face Everton in the Carabao Cup.
For this game, Peixoto simply has to rotate his entire starting XI.
The Black Country derby is far more important, both for local pride and the potential impact it could have on the promotion race.
If Wolves were to play their first-team against Everton, they would likely lose anyway, with many of their stars then tired for Sunday’s derby.
Therefore, Peixoto would be wise not to start a single play who he wishes to have in the line-up against West Brom, with the Carabao Cup simply not important at the moment.