3 ways West Brom can improve on disappointing 2021/22 campaign

West Bromwich Albion fell away dramatically after an impressive start to the season under Valerien Ismael.

Steve Bruce will lead the Baggies into 2022/23 despite taking some time to get his ideas across at The Hawthorns.

With two seasons of parachute payments remaining for Albion to return to the promiseland, promotion will be the aim next season despite their poor showing since the turn of the year.

Karlan Grant and Taylor Gardner-Hickman were too bright sparks in the darker spells of the season, it will be interesting to see how integral they remain to the line-up come opening day.

Here, we have taken a look at three ways West Brom can improve on their disappointing 2021/22 campaign…

Identity

Bruce tinkered with his formations in searching for effective combinations in the final few months of the season.

Consistency and faith in a single system has worked well in the EFL in recent years and will help the players to learn their individual roles in greater detail.

Bruce does seem to prefer a back four, and without many players out of contract at the club, he faces an important pre-season to drill the new approach into the current squad.

Playmaking

In Jayson Molumby, Alex Mowatt, Jake Livermore and Taylor Gardner-Hickman, the Baggies have some impressive central midfielders for the level.

However, there is a palpable lack of spark and creativity which made it difficult for the club’s frontline this season.

Callum Robinson can play deeper, and is still a dangerous player in the second tier, give him the service and he will contribute, especially if Daryl Dike can return to occupy defences next season.

Wide areas

Darnell Furlong and Conor Townsend are both excellent full backs at second tier level, but they are not