Pre-season: Villarreal 3 West Brom 0 - Report and pictures
Everyone is aware where Albion need to strengthen, but Slaven Bilic's first public game of pre-season confirmed their need for strikers.
The Baggies rarely threatened against Villarreal at the Camila Cano stadium in La Nucia, where they lost 3-0 to the superior La Liga outfit.
The team sheet may have listed five forwards in Albion's team, but three of those were academy players, and all three are wingers.
And drawing a blank in the Spanish heat in front of hundreds of travelling Baggies laid bare Albion's deficiencies up front.
There were flashes of promise from winger Kyle Edwards, who had Albion's best chance of the game, and a composed performance at the back from another academy product Dara O'Shea.
The 20-year-old was the only player to complete 90 minutes, and perhaps it was fatigue after eight intense sessions in the sun this week that led to a mistake late on, allowing Carlos Bacca to add Villarreal's third.
But after a successful loan spell at League Two Exeter City last season, he has moved ahead of Jack Fitzwater in the pecking order.
It was a deserved win for Villarreal, who reached the quarter-final of the Europa League last season, and they passed the ball with more purpose than the Baggies.
The team warmed up in t-shirts emblazoned with the image of Albion legend Laurie Cunningham, Real Madrid's first English player who died in a car accident 30 years ago, but they were quickly soaked through with sweat.
In terms of a friendly that satisfies the team's needs for a workout and supporters' needs for a party, there are few better locations than Costa Blanca, where the mercury tops 30C and the lager flows readily.
Bilic's first formation as Albion boss was a traditional 4-4-2 with Matt Phillips and Oliver Burke up top, and young fliers Jonathan Leko and Kyle Edwards on the wing, but he switched to 4-5-1 in the second half.
The Spanish side started the strongest, and zipped the ball about with purpose before taking the lead nine minutes in.
When influential skipper Manuel Trigueros swung a corner towards the back post, Gerard Moreno climbed highest and nodded in a header that Sam Johnstone was unable to keep out.
Johnstone did keep out Victor Moya's shot from range soon after before Daniel Raba blazed over.
Villarreal, who finished 14th in La Liga last season, were the better in the first half, but Albion threatened 16 minutes in when Phillips's free-kick was headed over by Kyle Bartley.
Burke was winning flick-ons, O'Shea was composed at the back, while there were flashes off pace from Edwards.
However, the team in yellow were far more comfortable on the ball, epitomised by their classy captain in the centre of midfield, who was controlling the game and fizzed a free-kick just wide.
And Villarreal doubled their lead on the stroke of half-time when Trigueros rolled home a penalty after Kieran Gibbs tripped Ivan Martin in the box.
The Baggies made six changes at half-time and switched to 4-5-1, while Villarreal changed their whole side.
New signing Filip Krovinovic was given his first outing in an Albion shirt, and he lined up a midfield role ahead of Jake Livermore.
The Croatian playmaker was hungry for the ball, but struggled to play the killer pass in behind to unlock Villarreal's defence.
It was Albion stalwart Chris Brunt who had the first shot of the second half, poking one wide from the edge of the box before Carlos Bacca did the same for their opponents.
Sam Field came on for Jake Livermore on the hour mark and there were also outings for youngsters Nathan Ferguson, Rayhaan Tulloch and Kane Wilson.
Hal Robson-Kanu sent Edwards clear for Albion's best chance of the game, but his shot was well blocked.
O'Shea's impressive performance was marred late on by a mis-kick, which gifted the ball to Carlos Bacca, and he gobbled up the chance to make it 3-0.
Field headed just wide late on, shortly after receiving a yellow card for retaliation, but Albion couldn't find a way through and in the end, they were comfortably beaten.
Results in the first game of pre-season are rarely an indicator of the campaign to come, but the Baggies desperately need to bolster their attacking options, and soon.
Teams
Villarreal 1st half: Fernandez; Albiol, Pena, Quintilla, Torres; Guerra, Trigueros (c), Martin, Chuca; Moreno, Raba.
Villarreal 2nd half: Asenjo, Gaspar, Ruiz, Moreno, Iborra, Morlanes, Bacca, Suarez, Beitia, Alvarez, Costa.
Unused subs: Barbosa, Gonalez, Costa, Moreno, Cazorla.
Albion (4-4-2): Johnstone (Bond 45); Nyom (Ferguson 45), O'Shea, Bartley (Fitzwater 73), Gibbs (Townsend 45); Leko (Tulloch 73), Livermore (Field 60), Harper (Brunt 45), Edwards (Wilson 77); Phillips (Krovinovic 45), Burke (Robson-Kanu 45).
Unused subs: Bond, Griffiths.
Goals
09 - GOAL VILLARREAL - Moreno nods in a corner at the back post.
45 - GOAL VILLARREAL - Trigueros rolls home a penalty after Gibbs trips Martin.
83 - GOAL VILLARREAL - Bacca capitalises on an O'Shea mistake.
Attendance: 1,900
