Carlos Corberan explains Alex Mowatt decision in West Brom defeat to Sheffield Wednesday
Carlos Corberan has explained his decision to drop Alex Mowatt against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday (28 September) after West Brom lost 3-2 at Hillsborough.
Speaking to the Express and Star (30 September), Corberan said that Mowatt only training once in the week was behind his decision to start Ousmane Diakite ahead of him in defensive midfield.
A horror first half saw Diakite hooked for Mowatt at half-time with the Baggies 2-0 down, and although the 29-year-old equalised with six minutes remaining, Anthony Musaba won it late on for Wednesday.
Corberan said: “In this moment we needed to have a more attacking player. I was close to putting (John) Swift to a direct number eight to attack more and to introduce a number 10 – because Mowatt is a player that always helps the team to play from the back.
“As a team I don’t want to depend on any player. Mowey only trained once this week, on Friday, and if we want to be a strong team we cannot depend on one player to make the football we want.”
Alex Mowatt decision backfires for Carlos Corberan and West Brom
Being a fly on the wall in the away dressing room at half-time of Saturday’s match would have given an insight into just how much Corberan was regretting his decision to bench Mowatt at Hillsborough.
Darnell Furlong’s early own goal set the tone for an uncharacteristic Albion performance, showing how sorely they missed Mowatt’s tenacity and range of passing in the middle of the park.
The 29-year-old’s half-time introduction was Corberan’s attempt to rectify his evident mistake in Sheffield – and until Musaba struck home the winner on 86 minutes, it looked to have done the trick.
Mowatt has been a constant under the Spaniard since returning to The Hawthorns from a loan spell at Middlesbrough, and will continue to be so after proving how crucial a role he plays for the Baggies.
A first defeat of the Championship season will give Corberan food for thought despite Albion still being top of the table, and after the Diakite experiment failed, Mowatt’s place in the starting XI is secure.
In other West Brom news, Shilen Patel reacted on social media after Albion’s Women’s side recorded a big win in midweek.
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