West Brom manager Carlos Corberan admits to difficulties after latest setback.
Carlos Corberan admitted Albion were second best against Sunderland, crediting his players’ mentality in earning a hard-fought point.
It was an eighth draw in nine games for the Baggies and a fifth successive stalemate for the Black Cats, who created the better chances in Tuesday’s game at the Stadium of Light.
Ultimately, the result kept Albion in the Championship’s top six on goal difference, despite Corberan being without four key defensive players through injury and suspension. However, the head coach was open to admitting his team struggled in certain aspects of the game against strong opposition.
He said: “It’s true, it wasn’t our best display, and Sunderland were probably better than us. They created more chances than us, but I value the mentality of the team so much. In difficult circumstances, they have put in a lot of effort to achieve the point.
“There was so much resilience and commitment out there. You have to overcome difficult moments and we’ve done that. You have to keep going and you have to defend well.
“We tried to attack at some moments but couldn’t break the press. It was difficult to put the game in the attacking half. We were defending more than we were attacking and they created many more chances than us, but it’s important to be mentally strong to compete in the Championship.
“The players need to understand they will go into some games where moments will be difficult and face challenges. We have lost important players but the more challenges you face, the more personality you need to put on the pitch. I liked the reaction from the players.”
The Baggies’ defensive crisis worsened just moments before kick-off, forcing Corberan to change his set-up.
Ousmane Diakite was named in the starting XI but picked up an injury in the warm-up, meaning Kyle Bartley, who had missed the previous six matches with a knee issue, had to play.
Bartley got through the first half, with midfielder Uros Racic slotting in at centre-back for the second 45 as the Baggies switched from a four-man defence to five at the back.
“We know we are experiencing some defensive difficulties,” said Corberan. “We have been missing three centre-backs, but we recovered Kyle Bartley. The advice from the medical staff was he could only play 20 to 30 minutes if it were necessary.
“However, with the problems of Ousmane Diakite, he stepped up and said he wanted to play. I like seeing this behaviour and this courage from my players, especially when you know you’re not at your best level to compete.
“It was decided Kyle Bartley would only play for the first 45 minutes because there was no possibility he could play any longer. After he came off, Uros Racic, a number eight, played at centre-back for the rest of the game, showing you the challenge we have at the back.
“He had some problems too and wasn’t feeling his best, but he also showed a good mentality and courage.”
