Carlos Corberan sets new West Brom challenge for John Swift
Carlos Corberan has challenged John Swift to maintain his impressive form at the start of the Championship season as he looks to have found his feet with West Brom.
Swift impressed as the Baggies beat Middlesbrough on Saturday (26 September) scoring and remaining a constant threat in his advanced midfield role, with his energy and movement providing a huge threat to Michael Carrick’s side.
But Corberan has challenged his midfielder to provide that level of performance on a more consistent basis, with a belief that he is at his best when playing with the energy on show at the Hawthorns against Boro.
Speaking to the Express and Star (Wednesday 30 August), he said: “It’s important that for Swift we keep this level because this is the level of Swift. The problem is when I don’t see this level because this is someone that I know with a lot of talent. As soon as he plays with energy he is going to do positive things.
“For me, everything in life is which standards you accept for yourself, if you accept the basic ones or if you accept the maximum ones. I like my players not to accept the basic ones and I like them finding the best to give because it’s our responsibility to do this.”
So much potential
When Swift made the switch to the Hawthorns from Reading he was one of the Championship’s best players in terms of a creative and goalscoring force from midfield, managing to score 11 goals and provide 13 assists in his final campaign with the Royals.
So far the Baggies haven’t seen the best of the 28-year-old, but in the early stages of the current campaign, Corberan seems to be getting a tune out of him that hadn’t yet been found in the Midlands before the start of this season.
There are a few players that can be viewed to be coasting in the West Brom side currently, with only a select few seeming to have that drive to succeed within them, but if Corberan can harness the energy of the likes of Swift he could reignite a few careers.
With the Baggies constrained financially this summer and limited in terms of the transfer business they can complete, a return to form for Swift and hopefully a couple more of the players who are struggling for form could genuinely provide a similar impact to a new signing.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies are reportedly interested in signing an international free agent