Jobi McAnuff tells West Brom experience will be key to promotion
West Brom have a big advantage in the promotion race for the Premier League this season according to Sky Sports pundit Jobi McAnuff.
The Baggies sit in fourth place in the Championship table after 23 games, two points behind Bournemouth in second in the automatic promotion places.
Valerien Ismael’s side has struggled for goals this season but defensively have been excellent, with their experienced defensive unit having a strong campaign.
West Brom currently have a number of players in their squad who were promoted up to the Premier League during the 2019/20 season, who were then subsequently relegated again immediately the following season.
According to Sky Sports pundit McAnuff, who was speaking to Football League World, that experience in the squad could be key this season.
“It’s massive in keeping that bit of perspective,” he said. “They’ve had a bit of a rough spell and they seem to have come out of it.
“The older players there will be keeping a calm head on things and letting people know that it is a long hard season, teams will come back. There’s no need to get panicked if you don’t string wins together.
“In a league that is very difficult, very hard and very long, it’s definitely important to have those people around who have been there and done it and have got that experience. They’re not going anywhere, West Brom will be there or thereabouts for sure.”
Vital
West Brom’s experience could well prove vital in the second half of the season.
Defences always come up trumps in the long run and if you don’t concede goals then you can’t lose games.
But it’s the experience in attack and midfield that wins games for the team and ultimately earns the points that get you promoted.
Fulham are in a similar position, but the rest of the league that are pressing for promotion don’t have players who have been in that position so recently and when it comes to the big moments in the season don’t be surprised to see them crumble under the pressure.
The likes of Kyle Bartley and company have been here before and have got the t-shirt to prove it, and they surely wouldn’t mind adding another promotion to the CV this season.
In other West Brom news, Kieran Gibbs explains ‘strange’ move away from Hawthorns.