Valerien Ismael sweats on West Brom midfielder choice
Albion boss Valerien Ismael faces a selection dilemma tomorrow after skipper Jake Livermore’s yellow card in the defeat at Swansea left him suspended for the visit of Bristol City.
Livermore’s fifth yellow of the campaign leaves a gap in central midfield – with the Baggies waiting to hear if Alex Mowatt will be fit for tomorrow’s Hawthorns clash.
Injured Mowatt was left out of the squad for the defeat at Swansea on Wednesday night, with Jayson Molumby making his first Albion start in the centre of midfield.
But with Mowatt having been withdrawn in last week’s derby win over Birmingham with a foot problem, Ismael is waiting on progress reports from the man he brought with him from Barnsley in the summer.
Asked whether Mowatt would be ready for the visit of the Robins, Ismael said: “We will see. Day by day, how the improvement is, we will see.”
Molumby was substituted after 79 minutes on Wednesday night as a precaution, having himself picked up a yellow in South Wales, to ensure his availability for tomorrow. If Mowatt is not fit for Saturday, Robert Snodgrass could be used in a central role.
“Jayson got a yellow card, and we didn’t want to take any risks for the game on Saturday because we knew Jake had the fifth yellow card,” added Ismael.
“Now we must focus on Saturday, with the right mind-set, no mistakes.
“The big message from Swansea – when the game is tight, we just need to make sure we make the right decision, especially in the danger areas, and when we are close to our goal we must make sure we swap the momentum.
“We must come quickly in behind to put them under pressure.”
And Ismael issued a rallying call to fans concerned about Albion’s form in recent weeks after they slipped out of the automatic promotion places.
“It’s a long journey the Championship,” said the boss. “You always have such a situation in the Championship. And now it’s all about the reaction on Saturday.
“We will show the right reaction but we have to avoid mistakes.
“We move onto the next game. We can’t change anything that happened at Swansea but we can change the story on Saturday.”
And Ismael urged his men to find their best form and bounce back from their setback at Swansea.
“We need to find our strength and produce a reaction,” he said. “It’s going to be another fight and we have to have all the energy.
“We don’t need to be too down after a defeat and overjoyed when we win.
“The next game comes quickly and we need a reaction.
“We need another mindset and to make sure that we have the right mentality and that we always stay in the game.”
