Carlos Corberan happy with West Brom tough calls

The head coach admitted it has been a head-scratcher as to when and which personnel are changed in his five permitted substitutes in Albion’s high-flying start to the campaign.

Bar striker Daryl Dike the Spaniard has a full quota of players to select and Sunday’s win at Portsmouth saw the calibre of Jed Wallace, Grady Diangana and Mikey Johnston, among others, introduced.

“I promise you it is very difficult to make decisions from the bench in terms of which players you put in because you have the temptation to put any of them,” said Corberan.

“I was thinking to put (Ousmane) Diakite in the middle because he could win second balls, I had the temptation with Ajayi’s yellow card to put (Mason) Holgate as a centre-back too. (Gianluca) Frabotta is a player that always has helped when he has played at left-back.

“We made five subs but to find the time to put them in when the team is playing well is always a challenge, but I like this moment because the fact it is not easy to make a decision which players can play or which players can move (off) is a very positive thing.”

Corberan has been able to use remarkable levels of consistency so far this term and has named the same starting line-up in all five Championship fixtures so far.

Fortune with fitness and the lack of injuries have helped but the head coach has opted to reward his side’s winning displays.

Deadline day signings Johnston and Mason Holgate were included in the matchday squad of 20 at Portsmouth, as well as fit-again Grady Diangana, which left three senior players left out of the travelling numbers.

They were all summer signings, loan defender Paddy McNair, versatile recruit Callum Styles and free transfer striker Devante Cole.

“It is very difficult,” Corberan added. “If we talk about the three players we left, any of those three players would be perfectly in the 11 of the team.

“We bring Paddy McNair because he is an excellent player managing the ball from the ball and helping the team to defend.

“Styles is a player when you have him on the bench you will always find a gap to put him on the pitch because he offers a lot of possibilities.

“Cole is a striker when the team has to counter-attack and there is a lot of spaces in the back, like Sunday for example, he can be the perfect striker to play with spaces in the back.

“But my job is to make these decisions. It is good when you make unfair decisions because it means everyone is available to help the team.”