Carlos Corberan looking to turn Kyle Bartley into Championship star
Head coach Carlos Corberan has revealed his mission to redevelop match-winner Kyle Bartley into one of the Championship's top centre-backs after the defender's goal at QPR.
Experienced stopper Bartley climbed to thump home the game's only goal at Loftus Road as Corberan's improving Baggies made it two wins from two.
It was back-to-back wins for the first time since the end of last season and welcome successive clean sheets for Albion, for whom signs under Corberan continue to look bright.
Albion's game plan worked to a tee with Bartley and Dara O'Shea colossal at the back. Corberan's men started brightly in west London and should have led, but were defensively sound throughout to limit a high-flying QPR side and take their moment in front of goal, via a set-piece, when it arrived.
It is a redemption story for Bartley who has endured difficult spells, not least this season, and had a mixed relationship with the Baggies fans.
"Before I signed here, I knew how important Kyle Bartley is, how important he has been for the club," explained Corberan.
"My target is for him to recover the best of him. I have coached many times against him, and he is one of the best centre backs in the league."
Asked on Bartley's response to a red card in the last away game at Millwall, as well as a forgettable Hawthorns night against Blues, Corberan replied: "This is what this situation needs. We don't change momentum, you don't change the situation if everybody isn't giving everything that they have to give.
"I can't tell you one player who didn't play without the level and the demands that this game asked of them."
Albion should have led inside five minutes but Grady Diangana - one of three changes to the side including Erik Pieters and Jayson Molumby - spurned a glorious chance from close range.
QPR responded and improved and asked questions of Albion but the visitors stood strong and repelled all the hosts had to ask.
"The first 15 minutes of the game were fantastic but after they changed the shape a little," the head coach added.
"They put Chair as a playmaker and were being more aggressive with the pressing in that moment. It took some time for us to adapt to the new need, in some moments of the high press we needed to play more long balls.
"We couldn't find the pass to break the opponent's press, we tried to do this in the second half, but we know the difficulty with the number challenges, duels, second balls, and of course the quality of both teams for me make a very good game, that was really balanced."
Corberan said: "Yes (I am pleased) because we know the Championship is very tough. Every opponent is going to make different things.
"We knew the quality of QPR because it is one team for me that makes a very good quality of football, we know the difficult of the game in their stadium today, it would be very hard, like it was."
