|
ESPNsoccernet: England | |
Romelu Lukaku has urged his new West Bromwich Albion team-mates not to get carried away as they look to confound the sceptics who have them earmarked for a season of struggle.
 |
West Brom's players awoke on Saturday morning to see themselves tipped as relegation contenders by various national newspaper experts, only for them to then turn on the style and dismantle Liverpool at the Hawthorns.
Lukaku joined in the fun from the substitutes' bench in an ultimately one-sided contest and quickly endeared himself to the Birmingham Road End both with his highly impressive goal-scoring contribution and his animated gestures to the celebrating supporters to turn up the volume.
Behind the showmanship, though, he insists hard work and clear heads are required. "We have to keep our feet on the ground because the Premier League is a really difficult league," he said. "We have to work hard every day and be humble.
"We have to work hard in training and prepare ourselves really well for each game. If we can play like this all season, we will have a great season. But we have to be humble and realistic because sometimes we will have bad games. But, as long as we keep picking up points, that's the main thing.
"The manager [Steve Clarke] knows the game and, if you know the game, you can manage really well. We saw what he did for many years at Chelsea, where he was a great assistant coach. Now he is showing everybody he can do it in the top flight as a manager and I hope we get some good results with him this season."
Head coach Clarke accepts that any thoughts of a permanent move for the Belgian international, who struck his new club's third goal with a far post header, are likely to be fanciful, beyond his season's loan from Chelsea.
But, despite the embarrassment of attacking riches at his disposal, the Albion boss expects to be able to go some way in addressing the dissatisfaction the 6ft 3in 19-year-old had regarding his limited first-team opportunities at Stamford Bridge.
"He will play more for West Brom than he would for Chelsea," he promised. "But I can't say how many."
Lukaku is relishing an early return trip to London for Saturday's game at Tottenham, having confirmed his readiness for the season with a goals as Belgium beat Netherlands last week.
"I came in last week and did well in training but all credit to my team-mates because they helped me through," he added. "I had a game in midweek and did well for my country, so I came back in really focussed. On Saturday, getting a win against Liverpool was the most important thing. The goal I scored was just a part of it. To get a 3-0 win in the way we did was perfect for everyone."