Albion’s ability to produce one of their best performances of the season despite making wholesale changes against Wolves on Saturday didn’t come as a surprise to striker Danny Welbeck.
Roberto De Zerbi made five alterations and one of them, Deniz Undav, along with Welbeck and Pascal Gross all scored twice in the 6-0 win.
“That’s one of the best things about the manager,” said Welbeck. “He doesn’t just focus on the starting team throughout the season, he makes sure everyone is ready.
“Whoever steps onto the pitch know they have a job to do and the whole team know what they and every single player should be doing. That’s a credit to him. He is so good at making sure we are all ready and well prepared during training sessions.
“Credit to the boys, everyone has bought into his style. He’s a special man. He keeps everyone motivated and on their toes, wanting to be better and improve. He’s doing an unbelievable job.”
Albion have seven games in May to try and qualify for Europe, starting against Manchester United on Thursday 11 days after United beat us on penalties in the FA Cup semi-final. A win would lift us up to sixth.
“It wasn’t easy to pick ourselves up after Wembley,” admitted Welbeck. “But there is no time to feel sorry for yourself - that’s not going to get you anywhere.
“There was a little bit of a hangover last midweek against Forest. So, it was important that we got the right result on Saturday and set us up for the rest of the season.
“I am looking forward to Thursday. They have got some amazing players, so you’ve got to be ready at all times when you play them. We will prepare the same way and we’ll try and put things right in front of our fans.”