Jake Livermore insists tactics are not the issue for West Brom
West Brom captain Jake Livermore believes Valerian Ismael’s tactics are not to blame for the Baggies’ poor run in front of goal.
The lack of firepower up front was highlighted on Monday when they were beaten 1-0 by cash-strapped Derby County at Pride Park.
Livermore, 32 defended his manager’s decisions in recent weeks as they fall further away from the automatic promotion places.
“I always try and be brutally honest and we (the players) need to have a look at ourselves,” Livermore said in the Express and Star.
“There is not a lot wrong, it’s just either end of the pitch – which is where it counts.
“At Derby we had 60 per cent possession, 19 shots. There doesn’t seem to anything wrong with the system, it’s that killer instinct we need to find now. When you look at where we want to get to, it’s not good enough.
Desperate Need for Goals
It’s no secret that goals have never been free-flowing in Ismael’s system, with only 30 coming during his first season with West Brom.
The Frenchman’s Barnsley side that shocked many last campaign only scored 58 while Brentford, who went on to win promotion, bagged 79.
But Ismael’s reluctance to switch up his 3-4-3 system or the manner in which it’s played could be the Baggies’ downfall.
Bournemouth, Fulham and Blackburn all possess a potent attack with their main men occupying the top three places in the goalscoring charts (Aleksandar Mitrovic, Fulham; Ben Brereton Diaz, Blackburn; Dominic Solanke, Bournemouth).
Their intentions in bringing in a new striker in January have been made clear for some time with Ismael widely reported to be keen to bring in one of his stars from Barnsley in the shape of Orlando City’s Daryl Dike.
The 21-year-old scored nine times in 19 appearances at Oakwell last season and it could be that natural instinct for goals that boost West Brom back into the automatic promotion race.
In other West Brom news, Kevin Phillips has backed this player to thrive if the Albion sign him in January.