[h=3]Talking Point: Albion should not start Leo against Hull[/h]3:00pm Thursday 13th February 2014 in Albion By Andy Naylor
Leo Ulloa is back on the scoresheet and crucial to Albion's promotion hopes
Oscar Garcia must be tempted to wrap Leo Ulloa up in cotton wool.
If I was the Albion boss I would not start the Argentinian in next Monday's FA Cup tie against Hull.
Ulloa is far too important to the promotion challenge to increase the danger of losing him in a competition the Seagulls are unlikely to win.
He is back in goalscoring form after delivering the decisive moments against Doncaster at the Amex last Saturday and Leeds on Tuesday.
Albion need him to stay fit and firing if they are going to squeeze into the top six in the Championship.
They coped well without Ulloa for ten weeks earlier in the season but they had Ashley Barnes then.
Any lay-off for Ulloa now would be a potentially fatal blow to their challenge.
It would be a big ask for Jonathan Obika or David Rodriguez to fill the void.
With due respect to the Tottenham loanee and the Spanish newcomer, neither of them looks ideally suited to leading the line by themselves in the rigorous environment of the Championship.
They do not have the same physical attributes as Ulloa to front up and retain possession against two strong centre-halves.
Albion have other key players Oscar would not want to lose, Matt Upson and Rohan Ince to name just two, but Ulloa is the one he really cannot afford to be without.
Original article
Oscar Garcia must be tempted to wrap Leo Ulloa up in cotton wool.
If I was the Albion boss I would not start the Argentinian in next Monday's FA Cup tie against Hull.
Ulloa is far too important to the promotion challenge to increase the danger of losing him in a competition the Seagulls are unlikely to win.
He is back in goalscoring form after delivering the decisive moments against Doncaster at the Amex last Saturday and Leeds on Tuesday.
Albion need him to stay fit and firing if they are going to squeeze into the top six in the Championship.
They coped well without Ulloa for ten weeks earlier in the season but they had Ashley Barnes then.
Any lay-off for Ulloa now would be a potentially fatal blow to their challenge.
It would be a big ask for Jonathan Obika or David Rodriguez to fill the void.
With due respect to the Tottenham loanee and the Spanish newcomer, neither of them looks ideally suited to leading the line by themselves in the rigorous environment of the Championship.
They do not have the same physical attributes as Ulloa to front up and retain possession against two strong centre-halves.
Albion have other key players Oscar would not want to lose, Matt Upson and Rohan Ince to name just two, but Ulloa is the one he really cannot afford to be without.
Original article