Carlos Corberan may have expected more from his West Bromwich Albion side up against a weakened Leeds United.
Corberan’s Baggies were held to a 0-0 draw by Leeds at the Hawthorns in a very drab affair that saw the two sides register just two shots on target between them.
Leeds entered the game on the back of an absolutely catastrophic week, which saw them follow the 3-3 draw against Portsmouth with a 3-0 defeat to Middlesbrough in the Carabao Cup.
Just hours later, Leeds then agreed to sell Georginio Rutter to Brighton and so the trip to West Brom was the first league match without the Frenchman for over a year. Crysencio Summerville and Archie Gray have, of course, also gone.
With it nearly a month since Leeds last made a signing, Daniel Farke‘s side looked a whole lot weaker than the one which ended last season, as Rutter’s replacement Joel Piroe produced an absolute horror show.
Corberan delivers immediate verdict on Leeds after draw
West Brom will have been hoping to take advantage of Leeds’ situation in the match at the Hawthorns, but in truth, they looked just as toothless as their opponents.
Corberan was asked post-match about whether this was the perfect time to play Leeds, though it is something he very much disagrees with.
The former Leeds assistant still believes Farke has one of the ‘strongest teams’ in the division and was pleased with how his side nullified the away side.
He said: “The result is fair according to chances each side had. We dominated the ball better than them. Against Leeds, you need to be organised in defence and bravery in attack.
“We had a good balance of both things. When you watch their games, they did not win their last game for a lack of chances, it was accuracy in their chances.
“We reduced their chances today. I believe Leeds have one of the strongest teams in the Championship. I am happy because in the last two games we had very good possession. Sometimes when you force attacks you lose control of the game and the opponent looks better.
“Easier to attack in transition than with positional attacks, but the fact we dominated them made us attack closer to the goal. This is where we need to improve with our use of the ball.”
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Leeds now clearly missing that X-Factor
On paper, names like Piroe, Dan James and Wilfried Gnonto are still very strong at this level, but they have simply lost too much quality.
Gnonto looked just about the only player who was prepared to play forward against the Baggies, with James and Piroe barely able to control a ball between them.
Rutter and Summerville were Leeds’ only real creative forces in the final third last season, and so it is no surprise to see the Whites struggle without them.
This performance is just yet more evidence that Leeds need some real marquee additions in the next 13 days.
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