Kyle Bartley speaks on West Brom ‘disappointment’ in defeat v Southampton
Kyle Bartley has spoken out following the part he played in the disappointment of a 2-1 defeat for West Brom against Southampton at St Mary’s on November 11.
Bartley scored the Baggies’ only goal of the game despite a number of chances the side created and has now called on his teammates to learn from their mistakes.
Heading into an international break, Carlos Corberan will have an extended period to work with his players, not only on tactics but to keep their belief and mentality strong.
Speaking to the Express and Star on 13 November, Bartley shared: “It’s something we’ve got to learn from but the general feeling is that the performance was really good.
“We can use that frustration and disappointment from losing the game. We need to come back in a couple of weeks and, hopefully, those things will fuel us to get a really good result.
“The belief has always been there. I believe in all the players, myself, the manager, club and that was a performance to really show people that, but we need to use it as motivation to really kick on from this.”
Not the end of the world
Despite the inevitable frustration following any loss, let alone one in which it can be argued you should have won based on the chances created by both teams, it is important to take a step back and realise one loss does not signify the end of the world.
Particularly when that defeat has come against a side that, at the start of the season, were predicted to walk straight back into the Premier League following their relegation based on the quality of their squad.
West Brom’s performance had plenty of positives to take despite the end result. Bartley’s comments are clearly born from frustration and disappointment, but in the international break, they will have time to regroup and recover.
Corberan has built a strong mentality among his players and the fans of the Baggies, culminating in the moment after full-time when, despite the loss, the fans applauded their players off in a show of unity. That will give the players strength even in their frustrations.
In other West Brom news, the Baggies are leading the race for a new signing.