Carlos Corberan forced back to West Brom drawing board after Brandon Thomas-Asante ban
West Brom have been rejuvenated under Carlos Corberan and Brandon Thomas-Asante has been a large part of the revolution at The Hawthorns.
The 23-year-old has started to find his feet in the second tier after his summer move from League Two Salford City and the Spanish manager has been reaping the rewards.
But things are going to have to change for the next three matches after Thomas-Asante was given a retrospective three-game ban for violent conduct during the 3-3 FA Cup draw away at Chesterfield.
Luckily for Corberan, Daryl Dike has made himself fit again and he is also beginning to hit form in navy and white but he will still need to adjust his current tactics in order to compensate for Thomas-Asante’s absence over the next trio of fixtures.
Karlan Grant is an option to provide backup as is Under-21s goal machine Reyes Cleary but neither have proven to be as effective at their roles as the former Salford man has this season.
A lot of the emphasis now has to be put on Dike and the American’s injury record means Corberan may not be willing to do just that.
Now could be the perfect time to try and experiment with one or two different systems that could bring other players into the mix should they be required.
Grant could well be a different player in a front two alongside Dike but they have never been put together in a competitive match so nobody really knows.
As a result of their exceptional form since Corberan took over, relegation is no longer a concern at The Hawthorns and West Brom now have the license to do what they like and this setback is just another avenue for them to explore/
In other West Brom news, Steve Cooper has addressed transfer rumours surrounding one of his players with the Baggies among those interested.