Valerien Ismael: West Brom have set standard with Blades victory
Valerien Ismael says replicating their outstanding performance against Sheffield United on a consistent basis is now the challenge for Albion’s players.
In what has been an impressive start to the campaign, the Baggies thumped their promotion rivals 4-0 at The Hawthorns on Wednesday.
That result cemented a fine start to the season which began with an opening day draw at Bournemouth before Ismael’s side beat Luton.
Nevertheless, it was the emphatic win against the Blades that the Frenchman has described as a ‘breakthrough’ for his side.
Albion played well at Dean Court and were excellent for an hour against Luton.
But they produced the intensity Ismael craves for a 90 minutes against Slavisa Jokanovic’s side. And the boss believes it was important for the players to see they can play with the energy he demands from the first whistle to the last.
“I think the performance against Sheffield United was a statement – that this is us,” the 45-year-old said.
“For me, it was a breakthrough – how we implement the philosophy, how we respond on the pitch with that intensity, being relentless.
“We continued to press the opponent, we stayed on the front foot throughout the 90 minutes and we got the result.
“I think it was great for us to see the result, not only the win but the performance of the guys.
“The intensity, this is our way. We have got it, the player understands it. Now we have to keep going.”
Ismael says the three games have allowed him to assess the extent with which his players are taking his ideas on board.
“This is why I said (a few weeks ago) we need the games now,” he continued. “You need to see it, you need to see what happens in the games so you can help the guys improve and give them confidence.
“Bournemouth was the first sign we are on the right way. The first hour against Luton was confirmation. And I think Sheffield was the breakthrough to know ‘yes, we can do it.’
“Now it’s all about doing it again with consistency.
“Every day it’s back to work, you start all over again. We take every game now one by one.”
Ismael is expecting a tough game when Albion face Blackburn today.
“They have the same manager but another way to play now – they have changed from being a possession based team to more direct now,” he said.
“I think it will be a typical Championship game. It will be a fight, duels for the second balls.
“We need to embrace that fight and be ready.
“But we will have the support of our fans, over 2,000 are coming to the game. That will give us big motivation to get the points.”
