The West Brom debrief: Baggies making progress but hit by sense of deja vu

The hosts deserved more, and were stung in the late stages for having a go at all three points. Here is the Baggies debrief as we reflect on a fascinating but ultimately disappointing afternoon.

Progress?

Not a very obvious sign of progress having claimed no points and lost ground on the top four but, from a psychological point of view, Albion could be all the better for those late circumstances.

It’s a lesson and it’s one that went against the Baggies. But Corberan, both publicly and privately, shared his pride with his players at how they pushed on at 1-1.

What that probably gives Albion’s squad is real clarity in the head coach’s backing and expectations. Corberan didn’t go crazy and look for excuses and those to blame after the approach failed, instead he encouraged.

That should mean no battle scars, but provide players with yet more courage in their convictions next time around.

Window into Corberan’s psyche

The Spaniard is known, generally, to be a safety-first operator.

That’s not to say totally defensive, in fact Albion are mixing it with some of the top scorers in the division, and his style of passing football from their own third is anything but cautious.

But, when push came to shove deep into stoppage time, Corberan did not shun the bold call, he stuck to his principles. He set Albion up as if it was 1-1 in minute 60.

Some may argue bad game management – and that depends on your reading of it. But what the moment did show is a head coach willing to take risks to bring about wins.

And another thing on the head coach. There was no full-time fallout between Corberan and Enzo Maresca. Corberan had been severely ill with a stomach bug for a couple of days and didn’t want to get too close to his or Leicester’s staff, but a camera angle – not the one showed by Sky in their replays – shows the coaches exchanging a pleasant handshake at full-time.

Maja

That first Baggies goal came as good timing. He’s got to be due that first start soon. I didn’t envisage it coming in a big game like Leicester, but I could see it happening at Maja’s former club Sunderland next weekend or Rotherham, four days later. Corberan, or Maja himself, weren’t bothered about the wait for the goal, indeed the striker is yet to start after a lack of pre-season and a more recent injury. He showed a predatory instinct with Saturday’s finish.

More telling perhaps, Corberan’s comments on the Nigerian afterwards.

The head coach said he has no doubts over the striker’s ability to find the net and influence games, what is more pressing is his need to be available, get up to speed and be ready to start. That is what all parties desire right now.

Sad sense of deja vu

Sadly, as winter follows autumn, Matt Phillips’ body struggles to hold up and the long-serving winger has succumbed to injury.

Corberan’s response seemed to suggest the hamstring setback would be, at the very least, a few weeks out and one fears it could possibly be longer still.

Phillips’ season-ending injury last January, admittedly a contact injury so unpreventable, stunted the Baggies’ season, and not for the first time.

The same cannot afford to be allowed here. Phillips, 32, is the best trainer at the club, he’s the hardest worker and does the longest hours of the squad.

It makes the incident tough to stomach, for him more so than others. He’d been rested on Tuesday at Cardiff with Leicester in mind. It shows setbacks are unpredictable. The hope can only be he’s out for a short as possible.