Carlos Corberan mistake axing John Swift cost West Brom v Middlesbrough
John Swift was forced to watch from the substitutes bench for the majority of Saturday’s match as West Brom lost 1-0 to Middlesbrough.
The 28-year-old was absent for the Baggies’ 1-1 draw with Stoke City, Carlos Corberan revealed to Birmingham Live that Swift missed the match due to feeling injuries in his calf and hamstring during training.
However, he returned for the match against the Boro but was forced to endure a spot on the bench, despite it being announced that Swift was not suffering from any injuries.
“John Swift had a scan and the scan came back with some really positive news. It showed there was no injury in the hamstring and his calf is much better,” Corberan said to the club’s official website on Friday (22 December).
“He was doing some individual training and he’s now ready to be part of the squad. He will travel with the rest of the squad up to Middlesbrough. He’ll be with us.”
In hindsight, it is obvious that Swift should have been included in the starting XI by Corberan, with the Baggies managing just two shots on target throughout the match and registering an xG of 0.35. [FotMob]
The former Chelsea and Brentford player replaced the unusually substandard Jed Wallace after 73 minutes, and despite a decent enough display, it was not enough time for Swift to stamp his mark on the game.
He recorded a successful pass rate of 82 per cent, won 100 per cent of his tackles, made four recoveries and won 67 per cent of his ground duels. [FotMob]
As West Brom’s joint-best goalscorer this season (6) with Brandon Thomas-Asante, there is no question that Swift would have made more of an impact from the start rather than in the final 20 minutes.
And with that loss, West Brom have edged closer to falling out of the play-off spots, with Watford, Norwich City, Sunderland, Cardiff and Middlesbrough all within touching distance.
It also means that the Corberan’s men are 16 points off the automatic promotion spots, despite such a promising start to the campaign. Though most clubs are unlikely to catch Leicester City and Ipswich Town, West Brom have lost all hope now with that loss to fellow promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough.
In other West Brom news, a near £7billion development may shape the club’s January plans with Carlos Corberan to be demanding.