Exclusive: Kevin Phillips makes Wolves admission ahead of clash v 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…
Kevin Phillips admits West Brom face a “very difficult” game against Wolves at Molineux on Saturday in the first Black Country derby since 2012.
Albion fans have long mocked their bitter rivals for their crushing 5-1 victory in Wolverhampton nine years ago but the two fortunes of the two clubs have reversed dramatically in recent seasons.
Even though Nuno Espirito Santo has a number of players ruled out of the derby game, ex-West Brom striker Phillips claims Wolves still pose a major threat to Sam Allardyce’s side unless the manager is able to get his defence organised.
“They need to defend better,” Phillips told West Brom News.
“I thought when Big Sam went in there they would be organised, they would be solid and hard to break down but at times they’ve looked all over the place, disjointed and like they don’t know what they’re doing.
“They’re coming up against a Wolves team who I watched play against Everton the other night and they lost, but they play some fantastic football. They can cut you open, they move the ball quickly and have great movement. They’re going to have to be solid defensively.
“Of course, I’m really looking forward to the game because I have a history with it. I’ll be sat down watching it so I hope they’ll get something but it’s going to be very, very difficult if they defend the way they have been defending. Wolves will create opportunities and nine times out of 10 they take it.
“They’ve got injury problems but they’ve still got some quality players that can hurt you so defensively, West Brom have to be on top of their game, organised and disciplined for 90 minutes to keep Wolves out.”
West Brom fans have endured a miserable season so far with Albion conceding goals left, right and centre and only winning one of their opening 17 Premier League fixtures.
Getting a result against Wolves at Molineux this weekend would at least put a smile back on supporters’ faces and also get Allardyce off the mark in terms of wins.
Many might suggest there’s less pressure on Albion to get a win. They’re second from bottom and Wolves’ squad is, admittedly, far better even though they have injury issues.
But we’re not buying it for one moment that there’s less expectation on West Brom. If anything, there’s more.
Us fans are down in the dumps already, what could lift us more than a win against them? It’s the kind of thing that can spark a season into life and really reinvigorate the team’s form.
Our defensive issues are very serious but Allardyce did manage to mastermind a solid display away at Liverpool and maybe he’ll be able to do the same at Wolves this weekend in a game the Dudley-born boss will know all about.
In other West Brom news, Albion have offered this key player a new £45,000-a-week contract.
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