Sam Allardyce wants West Brom refreshed for run-in

The relegation-threatened Baggies are without a fixture this weekend and won’t return to action until they visit Chelsea on the first weekend in April.

After what has been an extremely-congested season to this point, those first-team players not away on international duty will be given extra days off to rest and recuperate.

The Baggies also plan to organise behind-closed-doors friendlies for those players who have recently found themselves on the fringes.

Allardyce wants his squad fully refreshed as they try to pull off a near miraculous escape from relegation in the season’s closing weeks. He said: “The break might do them (the players) good. I think a lot will happen over the next three weeks. For the players who haven’t played so much we will arrange a couple of friendlies behind closed doors.

“The players that have played and who aren’t on international duty will get some time off with their families.

“And then the players on international duty will need to keep us informed on what they have done.”

Allardyce believes his team, 10 points from safety, need to win six of their remaining nine matches to stand any chance of avoiding the drop.

He continued: “We’ve got to try and win at Chelsea. The closer it gets to the end and the point gap being bigger, the more the players can give it a go and release themselves a bit more. Hopefully, they will get better with their finishing in front of goal, but I really can’t criticise them too much for their consistent level of performance and the type of football they’re playing.

“They are well organised and well disciplined. They are not giving any silly goals away. Our creating of opportunities and getting into the opposition’s final third – we did it two or three times more than Crystal Palace did on Saturday. But at the end of it we got nothing to show for it.”

Winger Kamil Grosicki, who has not made an appearance for the Baggies since January 19, has been selected in the Poland squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Hungary, Andorra and England.

Planning ahead: See Page 45