Valerien Ismael brandishes West Brom warning ahead of Derby clash
West Brom manager Valerien Ismael has brandished his team a warning ahead of their clash with last placed Derby tonight (December 27).
Ismael has stated that the Rams play with a lot of passion. No doubt a result of Wayne Rooney and his back against the wall mentality following two point deductions totalling 21 points.
Despite looking nailed on to be featuring in League One next year, Rooney’s team look ready to pull off one of the greatest escapes of all time.
Derby will have their sights firmly set on West Brom tonight after stealing a point from their trip to the Hawthorns earlier this season.
He told the Express & Star: “Derby is a strong opponent like all the opponents in the Championship.
“They’ve had a few great results the last few weeks and we know their quality. The positive thing for them is that they have nothing to lose – their expectation is that they drop into League One because the gap is massive.
“They are playing without pressure and with a lot of passion.
“I remember the first game – it’s a game we should have won 4-0 or 5-0, their goalkeeper had the game of his life, or certainly his game of the season.
“We need to continue from that point but not be sloppy in front of goal. We need to start getting the rewards for all the work and effort we put into training and games.”
Wasteful
Once again Ismael puts the onus on scoring goals for West Brom. It is no secret the Baggies have struggled for goals during the first half of the 2021/22 campaign.
They have scored 30 in 23 games in the league, enough to see them sitting in fourth place.
The team must improve their conversion rate if they want to clinch automatic promotion to the Premier League. West Brom must turn some of their draws into wins and scoring goals is the best way to do that.
Recent 0-0 draws with Barnsley, Blackpool, Nottingham Forest could have all been turned into wins if West Brom had finished their chances, something the team must learn from going forward.
One man who could certainly help them in this department is Daryl Dike. Increased reports that the USA international is Albion’s top target in the January window and rightly so.
He is the perfect fit having played in the Championship under Ismael, scoring nine goals in 19 games to help Barnsley reach the play offs.
In other West Brom news, Carlton Palmer: Daryl Dike loan will be perfect for West Brom.