Under-pressure West Brom boss Valerien Ismael says he is his own biggest critic
Posted Sunday, January 30, 2022 by PA
West Brom boss Valerien Ismael insisted he has no intention of succumbing to pressure after Millwall downed his side 2-0 at The Den.
Mason Bennett broke the deadlock in the second half before Benik Afobe doubled the Lions’ lead, and a strong performance by Bartosz Bialkowski in goal secured a well-deserved three points.
It was another blow to the struggling Baggies, who have now won just one of their last seven matches – calling the Frenchman’s future into question.
“It is, for us, very, very painful,” said Ismael, who watched disgruntled Baggies supporters throw a flare onto the pitch in the closing exchanges.
“If you don’t win games you are getting in trouble.
“If you are not able to accept that as a manager, then you are wrong for the job. I didn’t perform like I expected.
“I know myself, I am my biggest critic. A lot of things you can’t explain throughout the season – injuries. It’s not an excuse but you have to get the result. If you get the result, you get time, confidence, and belief. If not, you get in trouble.
“It does not mean I run away from anything. I take my responsibility, and the next responsibility is to prepare for the next game.”
Ex-England striker Andy Carroll, previously on the books at Reading, made his debut for the visitors after completing a free transfer to the Baggies on Friday.
In the fifth minute, Carroll nearly made his mark with a powerful strike on target from 12 yards out, but Bialkowski pushed the chance away with a reflex goal-line save.
Millwall started the second half on the front foot, with Afobe unable to keep down his shot in the 18-yard box before Oliver Burke mishit his second attempt when one-on-one with David Button.
West Brom’s Callum Robinson made an immediate impression from the bench, his cross deflected and forcing Bialkowski into a good low save. The resulting corner caused havoc in the box, but was quickly dealt with by the Polish keeper calmly gathering the ball.
Millwall’s opener came in the 67th minute through Bennett’s low shot. He was the quickest to react to a loose ball in the box following a Lions free-kick, with Albion unable to clear their lines.
Their second followed within nine minutes. Afobe’s beautiful piece of skill helped him to round the defender while running towards goal, before placing his shot into the corner out of the reach of Button.
And while Millwall manager Gary Rowett saw room for improvement from his side, the Lions boss was ultimately pleased to pick up the three points.
He said: “The confidence of the squad is my priority. If you don’t win games, it’s never simple.
“It’s about the players and having pride after the game. The last three games have been difficult. It’s about us showing character.
“Today, I thought we competed brilliantly. I thought we defended superbly. Our front three were an absolute handful at times. There was lots of things to be positive about today.
“In the second half, we were the dominant team with chances, territory, forward running and quality.
“It was whether we could score one of those chances. It was that frustration whether we would find that quality.
“Thankfully we did. We scored two really good goals, we should have scored more.
“I can’t remember anything but a set-piece where we looked like we were threatened. There were lots of big performances within the game itself.”
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