Valerien Ismael demands West Brom killer instinct
Boss Valerien Ismael says Albion must develop a killer instinct after their underwhelming form continued with a draw at Preston North End.
The Baggies struggled to break down Millwall and Derby in their two outings prior to heading to Deepdale – matches that both ended in draws.
And that pattern continued in Lancashire with Albion struggling to score despite having 61 per cent possession.
Once again Preston refused to let Albion press with the hosts playing long balls out of defence. And after being held to a draw yet again, Ismael admitted his side need to change the way they play and be better on the ball.
“For sure we want to press but in the last three games there is no chance to press because the opponents don’t want to play,” he said.
“The opponent can do anything he wants against us, we need to find the solutions.
“The opponent is taking us into a fight and we need to have solutions for that.
“But at the end you need to get the ball down, and play your quality.
“Now it is a fine process and we need to make sure we make the right decisions but we will make the right decisions.
“I see the performance and the mentality.
“It’s still early in the season, we are still unbeaten.
“Now the next game is at home to QPR and we go into it with a massive desire to win that game.
“We have to show the guys the right way, we need to develop the killer instinct. This is the last step.”
While Albion remain unbeaten this season, a large number of fans have expressed their concern at recent performances and Ismael’s style of play.
But the boss moved to remind supporters the Championship is a long season and that over the course of the campaign every team will have a blip.
“This is the Championship,” the boss continued.
“You see the result (1-1 at Preston), it’s a surprise result.
“It’s one of the toughest leagues in the world.
“Just because you have dropped from the Premier League, you’re not going to drive on the motorway and it’s a freeway for promotion.
“It’s a fight, we need to take the fight.
“It’s early in the season but we have a clear picture of what is going on against us.
“We are showing the right mentality.
“But what we have seen is that we need to work more on the last third.”
