Albion ordered to tighten up
Friday 28th January 2011, 10:00AM GMT.
Albion’s players were today ordered to tighten up as phase one of their quest to plug their leaky defence.
The Baggies are without a clean sheet in their last 21 Premier League matches and have shipped 12 goals in their last five league games to join West Ham as the top-flight’s leakiest side.
And boss Roberto Di Matteo reckons they must start to address the problem by recapturing their solid early-season form at set-plays.
He said: “In the last five games we’ve conceded more goals from set-pieces and corner. That’s crept in a little bit again.
“Before we were very, very good, very solid and didn’t concede many from set-pieces.
“It is something we’ll have to address again because it makes such a big difference if you can be focused and solid.”
Di Matteo has welcomed first-choice centre-back pair Gabriel Tamas and Jonas Olsson in the last two weeks and the head coach is hoping a return to a settled defensive unit will help his side slow the flow of goals against them.
He said: “It hasn’t helped as well that we have had to change it so many times in the last four or five weeks.
“We’re pleased Jonas got through 90 minutes the other day and we’re confident with him in the team we are better.
“I don’t think it’s about the same people playing, I think it’s about the people who are in the best form playing.
“But definitely having your squad available definitely helps – that makes a big difference.
“Looking at it, in the last eight games we have conceded as many as we did in the first 15.
“The first 15 games were not too bad but we’ve dropped off it in the last eight games. We are a little bit concerned about that.
“We have a meeting about that planned and we’ll have to change a few things and try to improve in certain areas to address it.”
UK Sport
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