Lewis Cox debrief: Feast to famine for West Brom whose senior players will benefit from FA Cup break

The Baggies pause from league action now as the FA Cup and visit of non-league Aldershot takes priority on Sunday.

Albion remain fifth in the Championship with the gap to seventh cut from five to three points. We assess some talking point in the debrief.

Never-ending cycle

It's becoming tiresome to harp on about Albion's lack of personnel in attacking areas but, rather than improving, the situation seems to worsen by the week.

Albion's hands were tied with the Jeremy Sarmiento Brighton recall saga. They invested time and staff into the Ecuadorian's development and robustness but Brighton and the player's willingness was out of the Baggies' control. Albion will feel they can use the wage funds to look for a more effective and 'ready' option - though that doesn't detract from the fact that Sarmiento, ironically, might have been useful in Swansea just as he was last time out in south Wales in the capital in November.

Jed Wallace and John Swift fitness concerns have the potential to be disastrous, even giving work in this month's transfer window.

The captain will have a scan on his adductor muscles on Tuesday, while Swift's calf complaint remains increasingly complex and a day-to-day issue. Indeed, in the first half in Swansea, Swift was a viable option as a late replacement, by half-time onwards, his pain was too severe to feature.

That must be extremely frustrating for everybody concerned.

Feast to famine

There is a couple of particular stats that are beginning to emerge as a real trend in Albion's results as we have gone beyond the mid-point of the 2023/24 campaign.

First of all - on the bright side - the Baggies have only left behind five points from two games in leading positions this term, drawing at Leeds and in defeat to Blues in August and October respectively.

Corberan's men are practically impenetrable when they work an advantage in games. Every win has come from Albion taking the lead. That, of course, owes much to a wonderful defensive and league-leading clean sheet record - the main reason they can still boast fifth place.

On the flip side - the fact the Baggies are yet to win after falling behind is, at best, an eye-opening statistic. Only at Watford in September and at home to Stoke a couple of weeks ago - both draws - have Corberan's side claimed any points from behind.

Big mitigation for that is availability, as stated above. Albion's attack has been ravaged for large parts. The head coach pointed to such when asked about the stats.

It's too long into the season to be a coincidence and is most likely down to a sheer lack of depth to turn to. Could it be other things? A lack of belief? Hopefully not. Lack of 'muscle memory'? Possibly.

Fellows chance

Albion's best performer at the Swansea.com Stadium was youngster Tom Fellows.

The 20-year-old really grasped his chance, much to the satisfaction of onlooking Baggies fans, desperate for one of their own to do well.

It was a day short of exactly two years since the then-teenager's only previous league start for Albion, under Valerien Ismael in 2022, with Guochuan Lai watching on the day after the club confirmed Daryl Dike's £7million arrival.

Eyes were on Fellows, who when involved from 30 minutes at Sunderland last month, struggled to deal with the pace and physicality of the contest.

Against the Swans he did anything but. He was electric and the catalyst from Albion improvement around the half hour mark. For Fellows it was a big box ticked and real progress for the weeks ahead, where he will be crucial.

Flogged individuals

Corberan has largely had to call on the same individuals for a while now. Some out of little choice, in other departments - central midfield, central defence, full-backs - because of fine form.

That is well and good and Okay Yokuslu, Alex Mowatt, Kyle Bartley and Cedric Kipre in particular, down Albion's spine, have had largely excellent campaigns.

A possible concern is that any of those mentioned, or others, become jaded through continual use. Many have just played most of four games in 10 days and regularly before that.

Mowatt in particular looked exhausted late on at Swans. The saving grace is time off now and a few days' recovery, with many rested against Aldershot next weekend.

Handy break

Speaking of that time off, many of Corberan's first team won't be seen now until Blackburn visit The Hawthorns 12 days after the Swansea defeat.

The head coach is likely to make wholesale changes against Aldershot - I can only see Fellows from the Swans XI starting - and the regulars will unquestionably be grateful from the break. Wallace and Swift can recover, Dike can either enjoy some useful minutes or be fresher still for Blackburn.

It also brings the January transfer window into focus. Albion had already plotted one attacking reinforcement, a wide player ready to make an impact for the injured Matt Phillips, but Sarmiento's recall has prompted the move for another.

The best part of a fortnight until Championship action at least gives head of football operations Ian Pearce and Corberan time to speed up talks with targets and their clubs and representatives. It's imperative additions check in sooner rather than later.