Roberto De Zerbi has said the 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace last season was a vital milestone in achieving Europa League football.
Albion were dominant that day in February and should have had a goal early in the game when Pervis Estupinan found the back of the net, only for the effort to be incorrectly ruled out for offside.
“I have a great memory about that game because it was the first time we spoke about the target,” De Zerbi reflected. “I think it was the crucial day for us. We had never spoken about the Europa League or European target [before that game].
“After the game there was a bad atmosphere inside the dressing room and I thought it could be the right moment [for the players] to discover my target, our target.
“We deserved to win and everyone remembers very well, I think, the goal that was disallowed.
“It’s now a different season, a different game, different history of the game.”
The head coach reckons after our two matches against Palace last season that he has a strong grasp of the rivalry between the two teams.
“There wasn't one crucial moment [when I started to understand it], but I live in football 24 hours a day and it's impossible not to understand the importance of the game, the level of the game.
"You can feel it. If you work with passion, the right attitude, you feel everything."