Ally Robertson hails ‘yo-yo’ Kyle Bartley after West Brom turnaround
Kyle Bartley had been on the edge of leaving West Brom under Steve Bruce but Carlos Corberan has injected new life into the defender.
The 31-year-old popped up to score the winning goal away at Queens Park Rangers in the Baggies’ previous Championship fixture to give the new boss back-to-back wins.
Albion still find themselves in the relegation zone despite those consecutive victories but Ally Robertson has been pleased to see the veteran defender return to his best under Corberan.
“OK, we’re never going to keep clean sheets all the time, but if we can make sure we are defending and organised as a team then we can have a good run,” he said to the Express and Star.
“Kyle Bartley was the match-winner at QPR. He’s been up and down like a yo-yo this season! He’s made mistakes but the new manager has come in, he’s played well, scored the winner – what a start for him.
“Now he has to keep proving it to Carlos. When a new guy comes in and picks you then you have to prove you are worth it.”
Options
Bartley’s return to some kind of form does now at least give the manager plenty of options in defence with Dara O’Shea and Semi Ajayi both likely to challenge for a starting spot.
The back three that Corberan has operated so far during his tenure at The Hawthorns would suggest that all of the aforementioned defensive options could start together but he has often preferred Darnel Furlong or Erik Pieters in the defence at times.
But the one thing that hasn’t seemed to change is Bartley’s presence in the middle of the trio where he can use his aerial dominance and reading of the game to override any potential pace deficit he has compared to some attackers in the Championship.
That may be another reason for Furlong’s presence at the back being a full-back by trade and having that extra yard of pace on the recovery run if and when it is needed.
In other West Brom news, this Strictly Come Dancing star was over the moon on Saturday after his Baggies pulled off a surprise win at QPR.