Carlos Corberan urges West Brom improvement and praise for Nathaniel Chalobah

The Baggies were blunted against newly-promoted Plymouth in a stalemate at The Hawthorns in which the visitors impressed in the first half but the hosts improved after the break.

Albion, without attackers such as top scorer John Swift, Jeremy Sarmiento, Josh Maja and Daryl Dike, struggled to fashion many clear opportunities against the plucky and lively Pilgrims. Grady Diangana was denied just after half-time while the luckless Brandon Thomas-Asante and substitute Semi Ajayi could not connect to fellow sub Jayson Molumby's late header for a winner.

Head coach Corberan wants to see his side profit more from dead balls while injury struggles hamper other attacking avenues. Albion created 10 corners to Plymouth's five at The Hawthorns but precious few led to any danger of note. Corberan was also frustrated that eight second-half corners at Blues before the international break – compared to none in that first half – created nothing.

"If I have to give a quick summary, they were better than us in the first half and we were better than them in the second," Corberan said. "Why? They found a way to break our press in the first half. After, when they broke the press they found possibilities to attack our box.

"In the second half we found ways to recover the ball in the attacking half, we found a way to be more dominant, but we didn't create a lot of clear chances.

"We created set-pieces. Our attacks didn't end with a lot of counter attacks, more set-pieces and it's another week where we've had a lot of set pieces but haven't done enough with them."

Set-pieces were last season key to Albion's rise and recovery under Corberan. Kyle Bartley, Cedric Kipre, Ajayi and Darnell Furlong and others are a considerable size and useful in the air.

The Spaniard continued on the theme: "We need to find a way to use better these situations. We have a lot of set pieces.

"The first game we won with this team, was at home, with the goal of Okay (Yokuslu, against Blackpool) in minute 85. In the second game, against QPR, we won with a set-piece chance from Bartley. The points we achieved were won using a lot of things, but the set-pieces can be a way to help you a lot.

"We have to see how we can improve in this, how we improve in attack, in defence and try to create more clear chances and when don't create those we use the set pieces to our advantage with the players we have.

"(John) Swift is our normal taker, who is injured, but (Alex) Mowatt is a specialist taker. Our centre backs are good players for set pieces, but they defended very well from set pieces. We need to keep working in more detail for these kind of situations."

A surprise at 2pm was the inclusion in Albion's starting XI for midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah for just a second Championship start of the season and first since the opening day at Blackburn.

Corberan explained he had been impressed with a purposeful cameo at Blues from the midfielder and also with how the former Chelsea youngster had trained during the international break and further back.

But Chalobah was one of Albion's better performers, particularly in the second half before his withdrawal.

"Chalobah is a player who has publicly said that his time at the club, last season, was not the time that he wanted to do," Corberan said of the midfielder's 10 months with Albion.

"For different reasons this can happen for players. He's one player who I didn't give anything to him - when I gave him minutes, it's because I understand that he deserves them.

"I saw him training in a different way than he was training before, with a lot of commitment and without frustration - sometimes when you have an expectation to go to a club and play important minutes, mentally it can start to frustrate and it can separate you from your talent.

"What I have seen in Chalobah in the last month, maybe more, was a very positive reaction in the way that players can do when they're not playing – they have to be focused in the things they can control. I saw this from Chalobah. I liked a lot the minutes he played at Birmingham. He was brave, aggressive, he made passes through the lines.

"I like the way he has worked in the last days, that's why I selected him in the first XI. For me, he's a very good player and if you analyse the pitch, he was one of the players who was competing best."

His performance against Argyle was recognised by supporters – a section of whom have previously booed him for poor performances and an incident with a fan at Stoke this season – but this time applauded him off after a handy display.

Corberan said: "He publicly said he was wrong, he made a mistake. It wasn't against West Bromwich fans, it was against certain people, or one person in particular. He was saying sorry for this action because as players and coaches we must accept criticism that people can put to us, but I liked his reaction.

"In what he said, in these public comments, he has reflected with acts, not only with words. He has put work in the pitch, he has trained well and he is very useful now with our resources to help us be the team we can be."