West Bromwich Albion had been on a roller coaster ride in the recently concluded season. Despite spending the majority of the season in the eighth place, they went on to finish in the tenth position which is a very decent result for them.
Nobody would have imagined that they could retain a position in the top ten places despite not having a superstar player in the squad. The likes of Gareth McAuley, Nacer Chadli and Darren Fletcher have performed when it mattered the most and the result is clearly visible. It has been a complete team effort for the Baggies and especially Tony Pulis. The effort he has put behind this team is pretty commendable and he deserves a large round of applause.
Their success has definitely made their fans very satisfied and now they would demand a drastic uplift in the next season which is quite natural. The end was pretty disappointing as they finished the season very poorly with a string of losses. However, there are still plenty of positives to be proud of and the 3-1 win against Arsenal is certainly one of them. With the next season approaching, Pulis needs to work on a few things to sharpen his side.
Infusion Of a Few Players
The Baggies will be playing for their own reputation next season and with the current squad, they are expected to do well in the next season. But no matter how the squad has performed, every club needs to strengthen and Pulis is expected to do the same.
He needs reinforcements on the attacking fronts as both Salomon Rondon and Hal Robson-Kanu has had an awful season. An addition of a forward and perhaps a midfielder would make the squad completely ready for the upcoming season. Central defence will be an area where he will be focusing on with a number of players reaching the twilight of their career.
Tweak the Tactics
The Baggies have played the season emphasising on their defensive play. Pulis likes to put pressure on opponents by pressing them and has the knack to nullify the opponent on counter attacks. But to sustain in the Premier League he needs to make a different approach at times. The defence will give you points but attacks will give you wins.
Keep the Core
A vast number of players are slated to remain in the squad next season. Pulis has to make sure that the core setup remains intact as too many changes will affect the harmony. The likes of Nacer Chadli, Phillips and Ben Foster have been outstanding and they have to act as a complete family to scale greater heights next season.
