Carlos Corberan admits frustration at West Brom injury turmoil this season, shares what he’ll do to improve situation
Carlos Corberan has admitted his frustration at the recent run of injury blows at West Brom this season and says he will need to regenerate some of his players to ensure they are in top fitness shape.
The Baggies boss, speaking to Express & Star (21 October) ahead of Saturday’s afternoon clash at home to Plymouth Argyle in the Championship, admits he and his coaching staff will need to be careful on how much training he is putting on his players.
West Brom have been dogged by injuries of late, with the likes of Daryl Dike, summer signings Jeremy Sarmiento and Josh Maja and most recently John Swift suffering from considerable spells on the treatment table.
And the Spaniard shared that he and his coaches now have to manage every type of training they undertake with great detail giving the amount of attacking stars out of action.
He said: “In total we had some days (working), but it’s true that we need to be very careful in terms of how much training we put on them – especially in the situation we are in right now.
“We have lost three attacking options, and it means we have to manage every type of training with a lot of detail. We have to regenerate some players, who are playing a lot and are going to be very important in the next period of games.
“We know that from now until the next international break, maybe Sarmiento is close, but Swift and Maja will be back after the next international break.
“Only Sarmiento might have the option to be ready for the last game, or the last two. We need to be very focused on what our players need right now, especially in our attacking part of the team where we have lost three players.”
Plagued
It’s safe to say West Brom have been cursed and plagued by injuries for a long while now, and it’s arguably the reason why they just missed out on the playoff places last season.
Had Corberan had the necessary quality at his disposal during the latter stages of the 2022/23 campaign, we may well have been looking at the Baggies as a Premier League club.
However, the Spaniard did superbly with what he had and it was a surprise to see how much progress and an impact he made despite the depleted attacking weaponry.
But, it’s certainly continued on this season which has certainly become a real worry at The Hawthorns and something must be done or has to change to avoid the same mistakes as last season.
This is a pivotal campaign for the Spaniard and his team, with a play-off place the minimal expectation from those above him and for that to be fulfilled Corberan will need maximum quality, output and fitness from every player at his disposal.
Let’s just hope the recent spurt of injuries is the last we’ll see of it at the club with some pivotal tests coming up both now and in the festive period.
In other West Brom news, Corberan reveals the loan plans he had for one academy wonder during the summer transfer window.