Five things West Brom must do to survive this season
Albion are four points adrift at the bottom of the table and have 12 league games left to save their season. So what do they need to do to survive?
1 BOUNCE BACK FROM SATURDAY
Albion had finally started to build up a little bit of momentum, thanks to an encouraging January both on and off the pitch and there was a surprising amount of confidence going into the match with Southampton.
That disappeared during three disastrous minutes at the end of the first half but the Baggies need to get over that defeat quickly because after the Chelsea game, they play Huddersfield, Watford, Leicester, Bournemouth, Burnley and Swansea in a six-game run that will define the season.
2 GET DANIEL STURRIDGE UP TO SPEED
Alan Pardew’s decision to rest the in-form Jay Rodriguez in favour of the Liverpool loanee raised eyebrows, but the new striker looked threatening for the first half an hour. He has lightning-quick feet, and rolled the last man on a couple of occasions.
He may not have tested Alex McCarthy, and may have faded after 30 minutes, but there were flashes to suggest he’s got that spark in the final third Albion have been looking for. Pardew has given him a target of seven or eight goals, but even five or six will go far in the remaining 12 games.
3 KEEP EVANS (AND KRYCHOWIAK) FIT ENOUGH TO PLAY
Albion missed their skipper’s pace and positioning in defence on Saturday. As brilliant as Ahmed Hegazi has been this season, and as reliable as Gareth McAuley has been for the past seven, it appears that both of them perform better with the class of Evans alongside them.
The Baggies also missed Krychowiak’s energy in midfield, where Saturday’s game was lost. Those two, alongside Kieran Gibbs, need to play as many of the remaining 12 games as possible if Albion are to stand a chance.
4 HOLD ONTO LEADS
Albion have scored in the first 10 minutes in five of their last six games, they are flying out of the blocks under Pardew. But whether it’s down to mental frailties or physical fatigue, this team has proven itself incapable of holding onto leads this season.
Albion have lost 18 points from winning positions so far, and that has been one of the infuriating themes of this season. The Baggies are not getting hammered, they are relinquishing points from positions of strength. If they can fix that problem, then there is still some hope to be had in the run-in.
5 FIND A WAY OF FITTING RODRIGUEZ IN THE TEAM
Salomon Rondon has been playing well recently, and Daniel Sturridge looks a cut above anything else Alan Pardew has at his disposal, but Rodriguez has flourished in recent weeks when consistently played up top.
He’s wasted on the wing, but could perhaps play as a No.10 behind the two strikers? Unfortunately, Albion don’t have much time to find the right chemistry up top. Pardew may be able to experiment at Stamford Bridge, but after that, the solution needs to be nailed down.
