Mel has taken the reins at a club in danger of being dragged into a Premier League relegation battle, gaining a home draw against Martinez's Everton in his first game in charge on Monday.
Anichebe worked under Martinez at Goodison Park and the striker can see parallels between his old boss and Mel.
"The new gaffer wants us to pass and keep the ball on the floor and create good movement," Anichebe told The Express & Star.
"It's similar to Everton when Roberto Martinez first came in – it was very different for us as players but you can see how much Everton have come on under him.
"The new manager here wants us to do that and he also wants us to press a lot and we showed that against Everton."
Mel is getting to grips with the English language but Anichebe, a £6million close-season signing, does not believe there will be any communication problems.
"Football is quite easy to understand," he added. "There's just a ball! We have all been playing since we were young.
"Everybody knows football has its own language, so whether he speaks English or not, he will make himself understood.
"I think we're in a false position. We've got a really good team and I'm sure we'll start to pick up points and climb the table."
West Brom are 13th in the top flight, four points clear of the bottom three.
