Carlos Corberan sets Brandon Thomas-Asante new challenge as West Brom star looks to end goal drought
Carlos Corberan has challenged Brandon Thomas-Asante to improve his offside record as the West Brom forward looks to end his goal drought.
The Albion striker returned to the starting XI for the Baggies’ 0-0 draw with Plymouth Argyle on Saturday (21 October) but struggled to have a huge impact on the game as he only managed a single shot in his 90 minutes of action.
Corberan doesn’t currently have many forward options at his disposal at The Hawthorns, with Josh Maja and Daryl Dike sidelined through injury so is having to try and help the 24-year-old end his seven-game goal drought.
As quoted by Birmingham Live on Monday (23 October) he said: “I watched Asante, especially in the second half, playing well, trying to create things by himself. The only thing I will tell you for him is to try to control the offside situation better.
“But he didn’t have any clear option to score the goal, which would show a lack of confidence or a lack of his possibilities to score. It showed as a team we need to create more because our attacks are finishing more in set-pieces than in chances and set-pieces is something we need to improve.
“For strikers, it is not easy to score in these situations. Of course, the strikers have the responsibility, and one of their targets, is to score the goal, but what I watched was him recovering one part of energy and speed I like to see in him.”
Room to improve
It’s no secret that Thomas-Asante isn’t the most prolific or perfect Championship striker, but at the moment, West Brom can’t be too picky as the former Salford City striker is the only senior option they have to lead the line as they contend with injuries.
However, the 24-year-old was almost anonymous against Plymouth as he only had 16 touches in the entire match, the least of any outfield player on either side who played the entire 90 minutes [Fotmob]
Partner that with the fact the Englishman was caught offside three times in the game and only completed five of his 10 attempted passes and it appears that Thomas-Asante had a lot to work on to rebuild his confidence and provide the goals Albion so desperately need.
A trip to Loftus Road on Tuesday (24 October) to face the struggling QPR may be the best opportunity the striker has to rediscover that goalscoring touch, but there is every chance that Corberan opts to deploy somebody else in the number nine role if he doesn’t trust Thomas-Asante to occupy the right positions.
In other West Brom news, Grant McCann has heaped praise on Baggies loanee Mo Faal after his start with Doncaster Rovers