Adam Webster has praised the contribution of the non-playing members of the squad to the team’s success on the field, and he insists that the sky is the limit for Albion if they continue to stick together and battle for each other.
Injured first-teamers Pascal Gross and James Milner and goalkeeper Jason Steele came to the fore at half-time in the 3-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth and they continued to encourage the team from the sidelines.
The effect was clear when Kaoru Mitoma put Albion ahead for the first time only 15 seconds into the second half before adding his second goal to complete our 3-1 win.
“The gaffer didn’t say too much at half time,” Webster said. “But obviously we changed a couple of things, and it is massive for us when you’ve got Pascal, Millie (Milner) and Steeley all driving us on. That really helps, it shows the togetherness that we have.
“And not just talking, shouting as if they are playing, and that is brilliant for us. They are not thinking that they are not a part of it.
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“They are with us every step of the way and that really gave us a kick up the behind at half-time and you could see that straight away in the second half. It helps when you score that quickly but it wasn’t even our kick-off, so it just goes to show how we had a reaction - it was big for us.”
The Sussex-born central defender, described as ‘a leader’ by head coach Roberto De Zerbi, returned to the team for the Bournemouth game after being on the bench for three matches.
“Physically I’ve been all right but the last time I played was against West Ham. I didn’t have a good day and it affected me quite a lot, to be honest, maybe I lost a bit of confidence from that.
“It can happen. I knew I had to wait for my chance to get back in. I did that on Sunday and hopefully I have done enough to show the manager I’m ready.
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“It’s frustrating we didn’t keep a clean sheet and we still haven’t had one, which is disappointing, but mistakes can happen and it’s about how you react. The first half wasn’t up to the level we have set but in the second half we came out firing and that is really important.”
Whether Webster keeps his place for the Carabao Cup tie away to Chelsea depends on the head coach’s plans to keep everyone as fresh as possible after making a total of 22 changes for our last three fixtures.
“Obviously we want to go as far as we can in every competition so it’s another chance for us to show the manager what we’re about and everyone is fighting for their place,” he said.
“But I think everyone understands that we’ve got a strong squad. Last weekend we beat United and JP [van Hecke] played amazing, Adam Lallana too, and they’ve not even played [against Bournemouth]. It just goes to show that everyone is pushing everyone, we’re all together.
“We’ve got such a good culture here that everyone is fighting for each other day in and day out.
“We’ve got a busy schedule and just have to take every game as it comes, but the potential in the squad and the blend of experience and youth is brilliant. The more experienced lads can help the younger lads and vice versa. It’s a real good group and yes, the sky is the limit for us.”