Carlos Corberan drops Josh Maja selection hint ahead of West Brom playoff clash v Southampton
West Brom manager Carlos Corberan has admitted there is a chance Josh Maja will feature for the Baggies in the second leg of their clash with Southampton.
The Baggies were unable to make their home advantage count in the first leg of their playoff semifinal on Sunday (13 May) as they wasted some excellent chances in a 0-0 draw at The Hawthorns.
Maja was surprisingly absent from Albion’s matchday squad against Russell Martin’s side and while Corberan questioned his fitness he didn’t rule him out of featuring in the second leg on Friday (17 May).
As quoted by Birmingham World (13 May) he said: “Unfortunately I don’t think he has achieved enough number of Championship minutes to arrive fit enough to face a team like Southampton.
“You know you need to defend with a lot of work, you need to be fit and ready, mentally and physically for the challenge. This game, I have decided Andi Weimann – after analysing in a lot of detail – has arrived in better physical condition than Josh. I was pushing Josh in every type of situation I could push.
“I don’t know, we have four days more. Maja has been working strong today, he’ll be working strongly tomorrow.”
Will Josh Maja play for Carlos Corberan and West Brom v Southampton?
For so much of this season, Corberan and the Baggies have been completely reliant on Brandon Thomas-Asante to feature week in and week out because of Maja’s constant fitness issues at The Hawthorns.
The striker arrived in the Midlands with plenty of excitement this summer because of his good record in both France and the English pyramid previously in his career, but so far he has failed to hit those heights.
He is capable of scoring a goal from nothing and in the playoffs, that could be the difference between winning promotion and missing out. But Corberan won’t be willing to throw the centre-forward in for the sake of it.
The Albion boss demands that his players work hard both in and out of possession and if he doesn’t believe Maja is capable of that, Andi Weimann will be preferred again.
That may not be to every supporter’s taste, but Corberan is unlikely to change his methods now.
In other West Brom news, Shilen Patel has shared his immediate reaction to the Baggies’ playoff draw with Southampton
For more West Brom news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.