West Brom decision shocks journalist ahead of Millwall showdown
Express & Star reporter Jonny Drury was “shocked” by the starting line-up named by West Brom to face Millwall on Saturday 23 September.
Carlos Corberan made five changes to the side that played out a thrilling 2-2 draw with Watford in midweek.
With a quick turnaround for Saturday’s clash with Millwall at The Hawthorns, Corberan opted to rotate half his outfield players with Jed Wallace benched.
Jeremy Sarmiento was among those to come into the side, with captain Wallace among the substitutes.
Commenting on the team sheet, Drury posted on his personal Twitter page [23 September]: “‘He won’t drop Wallace because he’s captain’
“Oh he will. Shocked to see five changes to be honest. At least now my mentions won’t be littered with ‘why not start Sarmiento’
Rotation
Corberan made a big selection call against Millwall, particularly in naming Wallace among the subs after he scored against Watford.
Sarmiento was always likely to come into the XI, with the Brighton and Hove Albion loanee being made to wait for his full Baggies debut up until now.
Kyle Bartley, Conor Townsend, Alex Mowatt and Grady Diangana were the others to come into the XI as Corberan made full use of his squad.
Despite the overhaul, there was still no room in the line-up for Pipa as the full-back continues to be overlooked.
There is no harm in heavily rotating between games, of course, and this was always seen as the more winnable fixture of the two this week.
Ultimately, whether Corberan’s decision was a success or not will be reflected in the final scoreline.
In other West Brom news, Corberan has confirmed a player could be heading for The Hawthorns exit.