Carlos Corberan may be tempted to bring in Semi Ajayi from the West Brom cold v Middlesbrough
West Brom boss Carlos Corberan may be tempted to reintroduce defender Semi Ajayi into his starting XI against Middlesbrough this weekend, after Erik Pieters’ shocker v Watford on Monday.
The Baggies have now gone three games without a win hampering their chances of a playoff push after being seen off by former boss Slaven Bilic in a thrilling Championship contest.
Albion twice levelled after falling behind but were eventually beaten by a Ken Sema shot that deflected in off Erik Pieters, which keeps them 10th in the table and four points from a top-six place.
After the game, Corberan rued his side’s defensive mistakes as his side continued their torrid defensive run away from home.
The Albion held one of the best defensive records in the division since the Spaniard’s appointment in October until the early part of 2023, conceding 15 goals in their last six games away from The Hawthorns in all competitions, winning just one of those.
The club face a daunting task on Saturday as they welcome high-flying and free-scoring Middlesbrough to The Hawthorns in what is sure to be an engrossing encounter, but one which Corberan will need to be incredibly wary of.
And following the torrid performance of Pieters, the Spaniard may be tempted to reintroduce one of his forgotten men in Ajayi.
The 29-year-old is yet to start a league game under Corberan, having made just two late substitution appearances in the Championship since the Spaniard took charge.
The former Huddersfield hinted that he will be looking to return to some defensive basics in the coming weeks and including one of the club’s trusted centre-backs over the past two years may just help his side stop leaking goals.
A tall, athletic, strong and defensively sound centre-back, Ajayi offers a totally different profile to Pieters.
And considering Middlesbrough’s attacking speciality of flooding the penalty area with telling crosses, the 29-year-old who is very adept in the air could prove a useful tool in dealing with Michael Carrick’s exciting attacking approach.
This is certainly a tactical switch the West Brom fans can surely get behind.
In other West Brom news, Bilic has shared his verdict on Corberan after Watford’s win over the Albion.