Sam Allardyce has stressed the starting point for his bid to get West Brom moving up the Premier League table is to work on their defence.
Following his appointment as their new boss four days earlier, Allardyce saw the Baggies slump to a 3-0 home loss to Aston Villa in the first match of his tenure last Sunday.
West Brom, second-bottom of the league with one win and seven points from 14 outings, have conceded 29 goals across those games.
Their goals for tally currently stands at 10, with just five being registered in the last 11 matches.
Ahead of Sunday’s trip to champions and current table-toppers Liverpool, Allardyce said: “You start by sorting the defence out because if we get a clean sheet we only need one goal to win, and at this moment in time, the team is struggling to score more than one goal in a game.
West Brom drew 1-1 at Manchester City in their final match under Allardyce’s predecessor Slaven Bilic, and the 66-year-old former England boss said: “If they show the type of fighting spirit they did against Manchester City then they will have a chance of blocking out Liverpool and seeing what they can do with possession.”
Allardyce has also emphasised the importance of having an environment at the club where people have “a laugh and a joke” with each other.
West Brom face off against Liverpool, at Anfield, at 16:30 on Sunday.
