Exclusive: Kevin Phillips hails ‘outstanding’ Livermore form for West Brom
We’re delighted to welcome former West Brom striker Kevin Phillips as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Hawthorns…
Jake Livermore’s name has been hot on the lips of West Brom fans in the last few weeks and former striker Kevin Phillips has now joined the queue of those waiting to heap praise on the Baggies captain.
Even though the likes of Matheus Pereira and Grady Diangana have been tearing things up in the Championship, 30-year-old Livermore has emerged as a serious contender to win Albion’s player of the season award thanks to his huge midfield displays as of late.
Livermore bagged himself a stunning goal on Tuesday night to help West Brom win 2-0 against Preston at The Hawthorns, where fans could be heard in full voice chanting their new song about ‘Captain Fantastico’.
Livermore, who has seven caps for England and has made 178 Premier League appearances in his career, has been a major driving force behind West Brom’s recent up-turn in form and Phillips believes he still has a big role to play in the coming weeks and months.
“He’s a very good player – you don’t play for your country unless you’ve got something about you,” Phillips told West Brom News.
“With his experience coupled with the players in that squad, it’s going to be a huge bonus come the run-in when the pressure starts to tell. And what that does happen, that’s when you want your experienced players and your captain to step up.
“It was a good finish [against Preston] and it was thoroughly deserved. He’s been outstanding as of late.”
Many West Brom fans have pointed to manager Slaven Bilic for being able to get the best out of Livermore this season.
The former Tottenham and Hull midfielder was widely criticised by fans for his slow and lethargic displays under Darren Moore, Alan Pardew and Tony Pulis but since the summer, it is clear that he’s slimmed down and become a far more athletic presence in the centre of the park.
Although Phillips maintains that Livermore is not the paciest player around, he is still impressed by the 30-year-old’s mental attributes, as well as his overall fitness.
“We’ve seen that over the years,” said Phillips when discussing the deeper role that Livermore played against Boro.
“If you put him anywhere in that midfield, he’s got the energy to get around.
“He’s a clever player. He’s not the quickest player in the world but he arrives at the right time, he breaks play up and he can find a pass.
“He showed on Wednesday night that if you give him half a chance, he can score a goal.”
After their win against Preston on Tuesday, West Brom find themselves nine points clear of third place with 11 games left to play.
Livermore has started all but one of Albion’s Championship fixtures this season with him completing 90 minutes of every game since he was suspended for the win against Sheffield Wednesday on November 23.
He has some engine on him to get through the entire winter period without much of a break and that is bound to be crucial over the coming weeks and months as Albion home in on their goal of securing automatic promotion back to the Premier League.
In other West Brom news, there has been an update on Grady Diangana’s recovery from his injury setback.