Steve Bruce to assess whether 4-3-3 formation is right for West Brom
Steve Bruce says he will assess whether 4-3-3 is the right formation for Albion after watching his team be held to a goalless draw by Blackburn.
The Baggies took on Tony Mowbray's side at The Hawthorns hoping to get their promotion push back on track.
But while they managed to stem the tide following three successive defeats - they failed to get the win they craved.
Once again they struggled to create clear-cut chances – although Adam Reach saw a header right at the end headed off the line.
Bruce was appointed Albion boss almost a fortnight ago with the boss opting to ditch the 3-4-3 formation used by Valerien Ismael in favour of a 4-3-3.
But the 61-year-old now feels that may not be the system to get the best out of the squad of players he has inherited.
“It's a small step in the right direction,” Bruce said when asked about his team’s performance.
“I couldn’t fault their effort or endeavor. I think both sides struggled to create any real opportunities.
“I thought we might have nicked it at the end when it was off the line – that was the closest we come.
“There are plenty of positives but I have to look at the situation to see if 4-3-3 really suits us with what we have available because we have to find a way of creating more opportunities in the final third.”
Asked if Albion need to get more crosses into the box for Andy Carroll – who impressed against Blackburn – Bruce said: “We need to get more crosses into the box and get more players closer to him – it's all those things,” the boss said.
“We will analyse it – we have only been here a few days.
“We have been working on something that we thought might suit. But we haven’t been doing enough, we have to work better in the final third.
“We know we are capable of winning a couple of games in a row and there is still a long way to go.
“We have still got a lot to play for and I’m quietly confident we will still get where we need to be.”
