PARDS: THIS ONE COULD BE FEISTY
Baggies boss expecting both under-pressure teams to show show plenty of fight tonight
ALAN PARDEW says tonight’s game at Stamford Bridge is guaranteed “a lot of fight” because both Chelsea and West Brom are under huge pressure.
His Baggies prop up the Premier League, while there are growing doubts over the future of Blues boss Antonio Conte after successive heavy defeats for the champions to Bournemouth and Watford.
Pardew said: “It puts pressure on them and we’re obviously under pressure because we’re bottom.
“I think you’re going to see a lot of fight on the pitch in terms of two teams desperate to get points and desperate to turn a little bit of a corner.
“We want to get a result which might give us the boost we need. Looking at their previous results, it does suggest we might have more chance than we normally would, but we will have to see.”
Chelsea have won once in five league matches and lost a League Cup semi-final to Arsenal.
Pardew feels they are struggling because other clubs have worked out their tactics and they are missing Diego Costa’s personality and skill. He scored 20 goals last term, but fell out with Conte and joined Atletico Madrid last month having not kicked a ball this season for the club.
Pardew said: “They lost in Costa an outstanding player. He’s been a big miss because he’s a big character on the pitch and can change the destiny of games, not so much with his ability sometimes but with his character. When you’ve one of those at the top of the pitch they’re very difficult to replace. “Chelsea also had great momentum last season and played a system everybody was trying to deal with. We’ve all had extra time as managers to work out how to stop them so there’s been a bit of that too.
“Conte’s had injuries, he hasn’t the momentum and momentum – that word we keep using as managers – is so important for giving confidence to everybody. That’s what he will be looking for now to take him to the end of the season. They are still in the FA Cup and Europe. They just need a period of momentum – it can win a trophy for them, as it can for us, and you’re looking for it all the time.”
Albion’s momentum after a 3-2 FA Cup win at Liverpool was halted last week by a 3-2 home defeat to fellow strugglers Southampton. But Daniel Sturridge (left) started after joining on loan from Liverpool and Pardew is pinning a lot of hope on his new frontman.
After tonight’s trip, Albion play Huddersfield, Watford, Leicester, Bournemouth, Burnley and Swansea.
Pardew said: “We need to put some points on the board. At some stage this team needs to win three games in a row or three games out of four. I think we’re capable of doing that.”