West Brom manager Carlos Corberan believes it is “madness” that his side and Bristol City were forced to play on Sunday afternoon ahead of Boxing Day fixtures.
The Baggies got the better of the Robins at The Hawthorns yesterday as a first-half brace from Mikey Johnston secured a comfortable 2-0 win to leave the Reds without a win in their last four matches heading into Christmas.
Defeat in the Black Country leaves Liam Manning’s side sitting 12th in the Championship table. While the mood around Ashton Gate is one of immense frustration currently, City have a chance to bounce back on Boxing Day against Luton Town.
Albion will similarly be back in action again on Thursday afternoon when they travel to Pride Park to face Derby County. While Corberan was pleased with his team’s performance against the Robins, he was left fuming by the upcoming fixture schedule, with the Baggies facing the prospect of four games in the space of fewer than two weeks.
“Bristol City and us are going to be the teams who suffer in this period,” the Albion boss admitted in his post-match press conference. “Teams like Derby are going to play four games in a row, we are going to play five. They have a week for the Thursday game, while we only played on Sunday.
“It is a physical disadvantage. It is madness. Playing against a team at this time of the season who have had two days more recovery is unfair. We cannot say we aren’t going for results, it’s my responsibility but it’s too much.
“Five games in a row. We shouldn’t have played today, knowing the games coming. We should’ve played Saturday, like the other teams in the Championship.”
Although Johnston had an electric loan spell at The Hawthorns last season, the former Celtic winger has struggled to recapture that form having made his move to West Brom permanent during the summer transfer window.
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His goals against Bristol City on Sunday were his first of the season and although Corberan was keen to praise the 25-year-old for his impact in the final third, he was quick to suggest that he didn’t do quite enough in the opening 45 minutes.
“Today, the players, Johnston – and (John) Swift – for me, it was necessary for them to give a step forward,” the Albion boss told the Express and Star on Sunday. “Johnston scored the goals and Swift was key to help our fluidity in the second half.
“It’s very important he [Johnston] finishes the action at the level he has. For me, he didn’t do a very good first half, but you cannot say this when a player scores two goals! They are only going to help him achieve the level he has.”