Carlos Corberan cannot start Tom Fellows for West Brom in clash v Rotherham after stinker at Sunderland
After a few months of everything going far too well at The Hawthorns, the last couple of weeks and poor results have sent the mood around West Brom tumbling down.
The Baggies made it back-to-back defeats with a 2-1 loss to Sunderland on Saturday (9 December) with Brandon Thomas-Asante’s late goal not enough to see Carlos Corberan’s side return from the Stadium of Light with a point.
Just to compound the misery around the Albion supporters, they look set to be without Josh Maja for some time after the forward picked up a nasty ankle injury in the first half that saw him forced after only 36 minutes, with Tom Fellows the man replacing him.
Supporters and journalists alike have been pining for the 20-year-old to get his first Championship start of the season after several bright cameos from the bench, with Johnny Dury even going as far as to suggest he was the brightest attacking academy talent since Saido Berahino [Baggies Broadcast, 29 November].
But the clash with Sunderland on Saturday may have demonstrated why Corberan has been reluctant to throw Fellows into matches from the start, as the young forward was unable to get a foothold in the game in his 54 minutes of action.
The 20-year-old has 26 touches, but only managed to complete four of his nine attempted passes in the match, losing possession 13 times in total as he also only managed to beat his opponent with three of his seven attempted dribbles [Fotmob].
Fellows’ only attempted cross didn’t manage to find a teammate in West Brom colours and he wasn’t able to create a single chance for his teammates as he struggled to match the pace of the game.
Out of possession, it was a tough afternoon for the forward as he entered 17 duels in the clash, but unfortunately, he only came away with possession on three occasions and was unable to win the ball in any of his three attempted aerial battles. No player for either side lost more duels in the clash.
Now there is no shame in struggling to match the tempo of a game when introduced much earlier than planned, especially against a side as good as Sunderland, but Saturday’s defeat may have just been a reminder for supporters and for Fellows of what to expect from the 20-year-old.
Before a ball was kicked, few would have expected to see him making regular appearances for Corberan’s side this season, so he is already overachieving the expectations most supporters had of him this year.
However, it does show that Corberan cannot afford to start Fellows against Rotherham on Tuesday 12 December, especially at the New York Stadium where they’ll look to be physical and attempt to bully him throughout the clash.
His time will come at The Hawthorns, just not yet.
In other West Brom news, Corberan has shared an update on Thomas-Asante’s fitness following the defeat to Sunderland