‘We are not there’ – Bilic bristles at pundit predictions for West Brom
West Brom manager Slaven Bilic said that his side are still progressing and that people forget that they are still on the way up.
It has been a tough start to the season for the Baggies, who are yet to win and have picked up just three points from their opening six matches.
However, they sit just outside the relegation zone and face Fulham on Monday night, a side that have picked up just one point so far (via WhoScored).
Speaking ahead of the match, the Croatian said that his side were still improving and deserved some praise for their start to the season.
“At the start of the season, almost everybody was predicting that we would finish bottom,” he said (via Express and Star).
“But we are not there. At this moment we are two points clear – for that I would like to praise the guys.
“Of course, like Fulham, we haven’t got that first win yet but we are trying. We are progressing, we are growing in confidence – we are doing okay. Can we do better? Of course we can. We want to progress – people are forgetting we are on the way up.”
Feeling the pressure
These latest comments suggest that Bilic is already feeling pressure following a winless start to life back in the Premier League and is looking to justify their record so far this season.
Although they are not in the bottom three, they have played well enough in spells to have more points on the board and put some daylight between themselves and the other strugglers.
Against Brighton and Hove Albion they took nine shots to their opponents five and enjoyed a greater share of possession, but still only earned a draw thanks to a late Karlan Grant equaliser (via WhoScored).
The likes of Grady Diangana and Romaine Sawyers have struggled to replicate their form from last season, with Sawyers dropped ahead of the meeting with Burnley last month and replaced with summer arrival Conor Gallagher.
Meanwhile the departure of Ahmed Hegazi has left Bilic with the task of working out his best defensive line-up, a decision by the club that Bilic was not happy about.
Should they lose on Monday to Fulham, the pressure will only grow, but a win will see them start to pull away from the bottom.
In other West Brom news, Fulham handed massive blow ahead of clash v West Brom