20
« on: December 05, 2024, 08:55:44 AM »
Corberan giving his reasons for playing Dobbin at Sunderland and Preston (from Lewis Cox in E&S)
"West Brom boss Carlos Corberan explains a lack of minutes for Lewis Dobbin - until now
Carlos Corberan admitted the form of others and a change in transfer plans affected Lewis Dobbin - but the on-loan winger has "grown" and is now showing his value to Albion.
Dobbin, 21, switched Villa Park for The Hawthorns on a season-long loan deal shortly after making a £10million summer transfer from Everton to Villa.
But the winger had to kick his heels waiting for an opportunity for the Championship side as Karlan Grant and Mikey Johnston both ahead in the pecking order.
It is understood Corberan, who has a healthy relationship with fellow Spanish boss Unai Emery and the hierarchy at Villa Park, made a play for a loan for Dobbin and the temporary switch was finally confirmed on August 6.
Later that month, however, the goalposts moved in terms of Albion's financial capabilities during the summer window and a £3million deadline day signing for last season's loan star Mikey Johnston from Celtic was made possible. Johnston, too, has had to bide his time owing to the sensational form of Karlan Grant this term. Grant has returned from a loan at Cardiff in revitalised form.
Corberan has started to see more from Dobbin in recent weeks and that has been proved by a full second-half appearance at Sunderland last week and a first Albion league start at Preston last Saturday.
"When you sign one player on loan it means the player needs the loan to grow," Corberan told the Express & Star when asked about Dobbin's lack of action. "He had a loan in Derby County in League One two years ago.
"He was playing some minutes in the Premier League last year with Everton, Aston Villa signed him and we moved on this because the idea at the time was an important loan, but let's say our possibilities at the market changed and this fact made us decide to bring in Johnston. Bringing one more winger affected the wingers we had in the squad. This is normal.
"It (Johnston) was a move probably not more for the short-term needs but more for the long-term project of the club.
"One of the players affected by this is Dobbin. Another thing was he arrived late in the market, the week before we played QPR in the first game. In this moment, when the player doesn't make a pre-season with you, he has a challenge with the competition."
Grant, meanwhile, had returned from a season in south Wales more motivated than ever to make it work in the Black Country and this was noticed in pre-season. It has continued into the campaign and four-goal Grant has been a mainstay of the side and one of Albion's players of the season so far.
"I saw Grant giving an unbelievable step," Corberan continued. "Taking the chance and not giving the chance to anyone. If we add that Dobbin is more comfortable on the left, and we bring Johnston too, it makes it more difficult for Dobbin to have minutes he needs.
"But after, for me, I never make an opinion that you can move off the players. You have a responsibility to open your eyes to see what the players are doing. The level of Grant has been excellent. Did I expect this? I didn't have expectation. But I saw a player who took responsibility to change his form and situation in this club. You have to have a lot of personality to make this, it is not easy, and commitment to football skills. He showed this."
Dobbin spurned a chance to win the game at Sunderland two Tuesdays ago and pleased Corberan with his first-half showing at Preston last time out.
The Spaniard sees Dobbin's strengths better suited to physical 'man-to-man' defences, whereas Republic of Ireland international Johnston suits running from deep with dribbling qualities.
"Dobbin is still a young player," added the head coach. "But what I watched with Dobbin is that he is growing. The amount of minutes he is having right now is increasing. Why? Because I am seeing his level increasing too. In every training I am watching what they are doing, every time they are on the pitch I am watching what they are doing.
"And after, when you make the first XI decision and the bench, you have to understand which type of context the game is, what is the player that his strengths are better for the game we expect?
"In the games the other day I've seen the man-to-man physical contact be important to attack. In this body contact I thought Johnston is not in his best condition and this is not his maximum strength.
"Dobbin helped the team with this body contact, with space in behind, he feels comfortable. So depending on the needs you give more or less minutes. On how the player is using it you give more or less minutes. Now Dobbin has arrived to a time where he is more useful for us than in the beginning because even without minutes he has shown good growing."
Show Posts
.
.