Source: FOOTYMAD
Di Matteo wants response
Italian admits Albion look tired Roberto Di Matteo is looking for a response from his side after losing 1-0 to Wigan. The trip to the DW Stadium was Albion third game inside six games after facing Manchester City and West Ham in the same week. Uncharacteristically for Albion, the Baggies were unable to muster another comeback after conceding the first goal courtesy of a breakaway strike from Victor Moses in the 70th minute. The Italian admits his battle weary players lacked the energy levels expected of them after a gruelling fixture list, but has told his men to lift their spirits for the visit of Stoke City next Saturday (KO 3pm). "This was the last game of a difficult two weeks," the head coach said. "We lacked a bit of sharpness in the second half. "But our players have put a lot of effort in and it was very difficult for us. "In the second half, we couldn't raise our game as we usually do and we maybe ran out of energy. "I thought we controlled large parts of the game and didn't give away chances. "Going forward, we looked a bit dangerous, especially in the first half. "And it looked like it was going to be 0-0. "Maybe a draw would have been a fair result." He added: "We never thought we were going to walk through this league before today. "It's going to remain difficult until the end of the season. "Anybody can beat anybody. "We always knew that and it's nothing new for us. "It's a shame we lost to a main competitor - that's the main disappointment today. "We now need to lift ourselves. "We had no right to believe we were going to go and have a season without any problems. "A positive result will give us some points."
