Homework has helped West Brom's Semi Ajayi hit the ground running
Semi Ajayi has been ‘studying’ Carlos Corberan’s training methods in order to hit the ground running on his return from injury.
The Nigerian, who had surgery on his ankle, has been out since he came off in the 20th minute of Albion’s 1-1 draw with Wigan at the end of August.
During Ajayi’s time on the sidelines, previous boss Steve Bruce was relieved of his duties, and Corberan was appointed. And the defender has been paying close attention to the Spaniard’s methods while he was out of the team to make sure he did not fall too far behind.
“I’ve been studying the way he likes to play and how the boys have been playing since he came in while I’ve been out,” the 29-year-old said.
“Now that I’ve come back into training, I don’t feel like that transition has been too hard because I’ve been doing a lot of my own work to make sure I was ready to hit the ground running.
“I’ve missed out on some of the manager’s early sessions and I feel like I’ve had to play a little bit of catch-up in terms of fitness for obvious reasons, but also when looking at the little bits of tactical information which he’s been delivering to the players. We’ve had a really good week of work over here in Spain, and I think we’ve all picked up lots of the information the boss and his coaching staff have been feeding us.
“We’ve been learning it all both on the training pitches and by doing video sessions too. All of that work combined has left everyone singing off the same hymn sheet.
“Everyone is very aware of what is expected from them, and that should stand us in good stead for the rest of the season.”
“He has lots of different ideas on how he wants us to play and different formations he believes can benefit us in certain situations.
“I was itching to get back out there and help the boys, so to be available once again for selection is really pleasing. I can’t wait to get back out there.”
