The plan, new challenges and clear boss pride
Draw specialists Albion made do with a share of the spoils for an eighth game in nine but took solace from a heartening defensive display in Sunderland.
Carlos Corberan’s threadbare backline is at breaking point but the Baggies managed to dig in and become the first side to deny the high-flying Black Cats a home goal this season.
We look at some of the talking points in the latest Albion debrief.
Albion travelled to Sunderland in such a perilous position defensively that a clean sheet would take a superb effort.
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For that Corberan acted accordingly. The head coach used a back five, bringing Tom Fellows that bit deeper on the right. The idea was midfielder Ousmane Diakite would add to numbers at the back.
Diakite felt discomfort in the warm-up, such is Albion’s luck at the moment. Kyle Bartley came in and did above and beyond ahead of schedule. In the second half Uros Racic did a totally unnatural job at the back.
The plan was to defend for their lives and see what the counter-attack could provide. As it happened counter-attacks provided Albion’s two opportunities on goal, one early with Josh Maja and one late with Lewis Dobbin. They were arguably the game’s two best openings, despite 17 Sunderland shots to the Baggies’ two.
