The consequence of Albion's iffy transfer window, leaving a squad lacking numbers in terms of quality. Hudd went on a spending spree and were laughed at on nsc, as were signings such as Mounie and Ince.
Too simplistic.
Several Albion players in this thin squad (of any quality) are being flogged to death. Modern players run and work far more than ever before. The countries with winter breaks can't understand this, as they see English based players disappoint in international tournaments...