Carlos Corberan makes ‘perfect’ admission over missing West Brom man Adam Reach
Carlos Corberan believes Adam Reach would have been “perfect” for how he wants his West Brom side to play this season.
The former Middlesbrough and Sheffield Wednesday man needed surgery on a quad injury and is expected to be out for around another three months.
With Corberan employing a system with wing-backs this term, the Spaniard believes left-sider Reach would have been ideal for his system.
In quotes reported by the Express & Star, Corberan said: “Always the long-term injuries are emotionally difficult to manage, but it’s true – Reach has one level of maturity with which he is facing the situation.
“It’s a pity because in the way he came to pre-season, the effort he was putting in in the summer and the spirit he showed in the first (friendly) games, it was a positive point.
“Imagine now – we have played the previous games with five, for me he is perfect to play with five. His best position, for me, is wing-back.
“Imagine how important he could have been with this shape that we have done in the previous weeks. The players need to adapt and emotionally manage the situation. He is going to come back stronger, without any type of doubt.”
Doing okay without him
It was a very untimely injury for Reach, who was showing some pretty pleasing form in the early throes of pre-season before he was struck down by an untimely injury.
Corberan makes a pretty fair assessment of Reach, who is handy going forward but not always the best defensively, so playing as a wing-back would have suited his attributes.
By the same token, West Brom are doing a pretty decent job without Reach. Matt Phillips has been filling in at left wing-back and has been done an admirable job in the infant days of the campaign.
The Baggies have taken seven points from four games to sit in seventh position in the Championship and look more than capable of challenging for the top six this season.
Having Reach back available will certainly be a boost, but in the meantime they can just keep on keeping on and trying to accumulate the points.
In other West Brom news, Guillem Balague has shared his view on Carlos Corberan after a Baggies stat emerges.