Studying footage was crucial in recalling West Brom goalkeeper Josh Griffiths – Carlos Corberan
West Brom manager Carlos Corberan revealed he studied footage during the World Cup break to make a decision on whether to recall loanee, Josh Griffiths.
The Baggies made the bold decision to recall the young goalkeeper from his productive loan spell at Portsmouth prior to the injury to first-choice shot-stopper Alex Palmer.
Griffiths, 21, made his debut for the club against Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday and received criticism for failing to keep out Ben Brereton Diaz’s last-ditch equaliser from a free-kick.
Other than the arguable error, the youngster impressed on his full debut having been chosen ahead of David Button following his mistakes in recent weeks, and Corberan admitted he assessed whether Griffith and other loan stars were ready to make the step up through video footage he used during the World Cup break.
Speaking via Express and Star, [18 February] he said: “When I arrived here, and especially in the World Cup break, I had the opportunity to have a look at (Alex) Mowatt (at Middlesbrough), at Caleb Taylor, at Griffiths, at (Cedric) Kipre (at Cardiff) too.
“And some of the young players like Jamie (Andrews, who was at Yeovil) that played with us in the cup, we like to see the progress of our players.
“We always like to watch what they are doing and dependent on what I was watching I would make decision to (bring them back) here.
“To have Griffiths here is based in what I was watching from him in the previous club.
“Everything is based in what we analyse and watch.”
Detailed approach
The decision to use video footage to analyse players who are out on loan is a very astute and inventive way to keep track of players who may be ready for the big step up to first-team football, and Corberan has certainly shown his managerial capabilities by taking this route.
Such a detailed approach will only prove useful for the future as the club impressively provides a pathway into the first team picture. Griffiths is a perfect example, considering his successful short stint at Portsmouth.
Managers at big clubs can tend to become fixated on just the first-team individuals rather than players on loan learning their trade elsewhere, and the fact that the Spaniard took the time out to see how his loan players are doing will certainly provide encouragement for the club’s academy and youth setup.
There is a clear path to the first team at The Hawthorns, and it is a model the club must continue if they are to create a sustainable and successful future. Despite the off-field issues with the club hierarchy, Corberan is creating a culture and environment for long-term success.
In other West Brom News, a defender may never feature for the club again after what happened recently and may even leave for free.