Slaven Bilic has told how Albion No.1 Sam Johnstone and his fellow teammates “read it all” in terms of critiques from supporters and pundits alike. Slaven Bilic highlighted the importance of Johnstone and labelled last summer’s £6 million signing instrumental if Albion are to avoid the drop.
Slaven Bilic said “Without a good keeper, nobody has got a chance. We have good goalkeepers but I am extremely happy with him (Johnstone). At the beginning, because this is his first season playing in the Premier League, it was a new challenge for him. You would read it’s Sam’s first time in the Premier League how is he going to do. They (the players) read it all, it all goes in their head. Then after the Everton and Chelsea games there were a few comments – could he have saved this one or that one. Then he had a couple of good games, a few good saves against Southampton. A couple of good saves against Burnley and he is confident. And that is what we need. We need that kind of performance week-in, week-out if we are going to stay up. Hopefully he is going to give it. He is in a good way. He is very confident now. We are going to do everything so that he is challenged by our other goalkeepers. But we want him to be confident, to maintain this level and even improve.”
West Brom are winless from their first five games but looked much more resolute in Monday’s goalless draw against 18th-placed Burnley. Bilic’s men travel down to the south-coast to take on Brighton knowing a result could see them leapfrog Graham Potters side in the Premier League.
