Report: West Brom face an unusual challenge as a new injury crisis emerges.

For the first time this season, West Bromwich Albion were defeated twice in a row when they were defeated at Sunderland on Saturday lunchtime. Dan Ballard and Dan Neil scored in the final 20 minutes to give Albion the win on an afternoon when they could be without Josh Maja for an extended period of time due to injury.

When Maja was felled by Ballard, who was then booked, they were forced to make their third first-half substitution in as many games. Maja was helped off the pitch by the club’s medical staff after a period of treatment.

For the first time this season, West Bromwich Albion were defeated twice in a row when they were defeated at Sunderland on Saturday lunchtime. Dan Ballard and Dan Neil scored in the final 20 minutes to give Albion the win on an afternoon when they could be without Josh Maja for an extended period of time due to injury.

When Maja was felled by Ballard, who was then booked, they were forced to make their third first-half substitution in as many games. Maja was helped off the pitch by the club’s medical staff after a period of treatment.

Albion did have a late chance when Brandon Thomas-Asante slid a Pipa cross past goalkeeper Anthony Patterson, but it would be too late.

Corberan can’t really afford to make excuses, nor would he seek to, but I’m able to reflect on this and bemoan the crucial contributions made this season by Okay Yokuslu, Jed Wallace, and Matt Phillips and how significant each of those absences was. If you were to cast your mind back a year ago to Albion’s last visit here, their winning goal came from the cross of Wallace and the head of Daryl Dike; the latter had earlier teed up the equaliser.

The Baggies were undoubtedly missing some big-game players here. They’ve been excellent in how they’ve handled the likes of Ipswich, Hull, and Middlesbrough. They were the better side against Southampton and Leicester, too, and earned their point at Leeds. Phillips and Wallace have been integral to Corberan, not only this season but since he walked through the door.

The Spaniard isn’t interested in looking for pity; he knows he’ll get none. He’ll expect and demand a response from his players this coming week as they look to rediscover that taste for victory after an uncharacteristic double defeat, but the campaign has scratched at the surface of Albion’s squad and now those who remain must prove they can cope.

 

Luckless Maja

On the subject of injuries, it’d be unwise to speculate just now as to the severity of Maja’s injury. Confirmed post-match by Corberan that the concern was in the same ankle as was impacted at Bristol City, all concerned will hope that it’s perhaps a sore one for an already recovering joint. The reality is that it could be a more sinister relapse.

Back at Sunderland, you headed to the ground hoping that Maja could set the narrative—a player returning to the club where he’d burst onto the scene and earned a move to France—and reminding his former employers of his abilities in front of goal—having netted last week—which sounded delightful and would’ve suited Albion nicely.

Sadly, that wasn’t to be. Maja did find one opening prior to his injury, when played in by Grady Diangana, but he was unable to get his shot away before the recovering challenge arrived from the defender. The next thing he knew, Maja had been left in a heap on the turf and couldn’t leave the field without aid. Cross everything that it isn’t as serious as is feared.

Josh Maja of West Bromwich Albion goes off injured...

Reignite the fire

Albion seem to have lost a little of their final third pazzazz recently. It’s a combination of factors; they’ve lost Wallace, Phillips, and now Maja in successive first halves of the last three matches, for one. All are important senior forward-minded players, including Maja, despite how little we’ve seen of him. Corberan outlined his role in this squad before he’d made his debut but Albion just haven’t been able to get him right for long enough yet.

Then you have the in-between. John Swift, excellent between August and October, hasn’t yet hit his straps since returning from his own six-week layoff. Grady Diangana, who was so effective in October and November, has hit a bit of a flat spot himself in recent matches. Expectations for young wingers Jeremy Sarmiento and Tom Fellows must be tempered.

It’s not been plain sailing. It was never going to be. Albion, on paper, has a top-six crop of attackers in this division but Corberan has rarely, if ever, had them all fit at once. The options from the bench were lacking here. Albion must rediscover some of their attacking magic from their existing creative options, particularly mercurial pair Swift and Diangana.