Albion winger Chris Brunt is bracing himself for extra defensive duties when the new season kicks off next month.
The Northern Ireland international is hoping to build on an impressive debut season at The Hawthorns by making an impact in the Premier League.
Brunt, who impressed at Cheltenham last night when roving from his wide left role, is expecting more defensive responsibility this season after being instructed to focus on attacking last term.
He said: “There are going to be days when we will be doing a lot more defending than we were last season.
“The majority of the time last season we had 60 or 70 per cent of possession for the entire game.
“It’s not going to be like that that this year. We could be the team on the other end of that sometimes.
“We just have to adapt our game and formations for certain situations. You have to do the best you can to help the team.
“If that means defending for 90 minutes and nicking a goal on the break so be it. Three points in the Premier League is always the main aim.”
Brunt, who linked up on the left with new signing Marek Cech last night, is intrigued by his new team-mate after playing in front of Paul Robinson for most of last season.
He said: “When I am playing on the left and ‘Robbo’ is playing at left-back we have a pretty good understanding.
“Hopefully that’s something we can use to our advantage.”
Share this article:
What are these?