West Brom captain Jake Livermore gets a fresh start from Valerien Ismael
He went from being Albion’s captain marvel to finding himself out of the team.
But Baggies fans can expect to see the best of Jake Livermore once again in the 2021/22 campaign – with manager Valerien Ismael describing him as ‘perfect’ for his high-intensity style of play.
An integral part of the side that won promotion under Slaven Bilic the last time Albion were in the Championship, Livermore struggled for minutes once Sam Allardyce arrived as head coach.
But from the moment he walked through the door, Ismael earmarked Livermore as a key player for his side.
And he also told the 31-year-old he would remain as club captain – with the midfielder set to lead Albion out for their season opener at Bournemouth tonight.
“It’s a restart for Jake,” Ismael said when asked about his skipper.
“He is our captain, the captain.
“Jake will have a massive part to play this season.
“His attitude has impressed me.
“He is really focused. He loves the club and I’ve seen he is ready to help every player.
“Whether it is one of the senior players or one of the young players, he is always there. He tries to keep everyone together.
“I’m delighted to have him as a captain. But as a human being I can’t wait to work with him.”
Livermore will start in central midfield tonight alongside Alex Mowatt in Ismael’s 3-4-3 formation.
Darnell Furlong and Conor Townsend are highly likely to be deployed as the wing-backs.
While David Button will start in goal – with Sam Johnstone potentially in line to return to the side next weekend when Luton visit The Hawthorns.
Elsewhere, though, Ismael’s team selection isn’t so clear.
At centre-back, Kyle Bartley, Semi Ajayi, Dara O’Shea and Matt Clarke are all competing to start – with Cedric Kipre also waiting in the wings.
Meanwhile up front Ismael has to choose three from four with Grady Diangana, Karlan Grant, Callum Robinson and Matt Phillips all vying for a spot.
None of those players, though, are out-and-out centre-forwards.
And that means Kenneth Zohore could be utilised from the bench to mix things up.
Bournemouth enter the game having recently appointed Scott Parker as their manager – another man who has had a big impact on Livermore’s career.
The duo played together at Tottenham. And Livermore revealed some wise words from Parker helped turn him into the player he is today.
“He (Parker) told me to have an identity,” Livermore said.
“That’s one thing which stuck with me and I’ve passed it on to the young players I thought had a good chance of earning a good career in the game.
“He told me he changed his identity while he was at Charlton.
“Then he went to Chelsea and that’s when he said it wasn’t worth going down the route of being a flair player. It was more worthwhile going down the route of tough-tackling and shutting off areas.
“That was something which stuck with me. I really looked into learning the game more when he said that. I focussed a lot more on my tactical understanding of the game. Defending and shutting off areas.
“I’ve earned a career out of it now and I do put a lot down to that little bit of advice from Scott – actually finding a slot in this role.”
