"I'm not Pep" - Tony Mowbray happy to steal Pep Guardiola methods as West Brom run riot

Albion boss Mowbray saw his side deliver a rampant display on the head coach's return to The Hawthorns in seeing off Portsmouth 5-1.

Without starting a natural striker, the Baggies were four to the good by half-time against Pompey and delivered on Mowbray's vow to supporters of letting off the handbrake in the hunt for the goals Albion need for promotion.

Mowbray sprung a couple of surprises with Jed Wallace, who netted his first goal of the season, starting up front in a false nine position in Josh Maja's injury absence as Karlan Grant dropped to the bench. John Swift also netted for the first time this term from his midfield role, which Mowbray explained was as a result of Swift pushing on when left-back Callum Styles shuffled into midfield - an idea he was happy to nab from Manchester City great Guardiola.

"I'm not a story-teller, but I try to inspire players with words to give their best, run through a brick wall," Mowbray said to the Express & Star.

"I'm not Pep who comes up with some amazing things and yet I can pinch some of his ideas by bringing my left-back inside to central midfield and pushing John Swift up. Then when we lose it John drops back in and the left-back goes to left-back.

"We've got a left centre-half who's really comfortable in wide areas. If that was Kyle Bartley he wouldn't be wanting to go out left, but we've got (Torbjorn) Heggem who came as a left-back really. It fits naturally. A left-back who can play central midfield and a centre-back who can play left-back. It works and the evidence was there today."

Left-back Styles once again caught the eye with another front-footed display. His background as more of a midfielder is something that intrigued Mowbray given the boss' desire for more raids forward.

Guardiola set a new trend a couple of years ago when the Spaniard used the likes of defenders John Stones and more recently Josep Gvardiol in central areas to help create. Arsenal, Liverpool and others have since followed suit with Ben White and Trent Alexander-Arnold, among others. 

Mowbray revealed his understanding and appreciation for space and positioning on a pitch came from his former Middlesbrough double-promotion winning boss Bruce Rioch, who went on to manage Arsenal.

"We bring the left-back into midfield and push John up to be a (number) 10 towards the left side, really," added the head coach.

"It's just an inverted full-back and Styles - there isn't a better one I don't think.

"When I played against the Barnsley team Styles grew up in, with Cauley Woodrow, Conor Chaplin, Alex Mowatt, Callum Brittain, they were a good team, and he played centre mid.

"Here he is playing left-back, it seems natural to me to drift him into midfield on our build-up and push John Swift to the edge of the box so he can do what he did today, rifle one into the top corner from the edge of the box.

"It's nice when what you do works, because it makes the players believe you know what you're talking about - it's fact. I was a player listening to manager after manager and Bruce Rioch came to us in 1986 and taught us how to play football, where the space was, how you create it. Football is about space and positions.

"It's also about humans, emotion, passion, desire to stick together and work hard together. I think that's what I bring."