Daryl Dike ‘causing problems’ for West Brom boss Carlos Corberan ahead of Hull City clash

Daryl Dike’s standout performance in West Brom’s 2-0 win over Championship promotion rivals Middlesbrough has left manager Carlos Corberan with a selection headache. The American hadn’t scored in six games prior to the Boro game but soon found his scoring form after being handed a start.

His brace saw him draw level with striking competition Brandon Thomas-Asante for league goals (five) despite being dropped for the former Salford City and MK Dons forward in their defeat to Watford. But in doing so, the American has left his manager with a conundrum to solve ahead of their match against Hull City on Friday evening.

There could also be scope for Karlan Grant to come back into the side, with the forward seeing little time on the pitch since the Spaniard took charge. Despite having worked with Corberan for a short period of time during a crossover at Huddersfield he has only managed 240 minutes since the new boss came in.

But how should Corberan go about tying down his striker spot? Or will he continue mixing and matching with his available options as they head into the final 12 games of the season?

Daryl Dike

The American’s goals were enough to secure victory against Middlesbrough, but his all-round performance was the most impressive thing about that display. His hold up play was essential to the Baggies’ defensive structure, something that Corberan was keen to detail post-match.

"I value a lot his defensive commitment today, as much as his goals because goals are key to win football matches, that he scored," Corberan told Express and Star. "We know as strikers, playmakers and wingers have responsibilities to score goals, because many times they are going to finish the chances we create - and the team have responsibility to create chances.

"For the striker it’s important to increase his confidence by scoring goals, but for me I reward more the football that he was doing at the same level that I reward his goals,” he added. The fact Dike showed how adapted he is to playing in the deeper defensive shape opted for by Corberan makes him an even more inviting prospect when it comes to selecting his XI.

Having Jed Wallace and John Swift as creative forces behind him will only help, with Dike combining with both of them for each goal, something that he is relishing. “When you have players like Jed and Swifty around all you have to do is put yourself in the box and they’ll find you, that’s exactly what happened with the first goal and I’m happy for it. It got the game rolling,” he told WBA.co.uk.

The striker looked dangerous attacking-wise too, as demonstrated by his two goals, but provided a constant physical presence throughout the afternoon. The question marks surrounding him are now, can he keep this level of performance consistent?

Brandon Thomas-Asante

A more energetic option in the front-line, Thomas-Asante’s constant willingness to press the opposition back line can prove to be a real asset for Corberan. Although occasionally found half a step behind when it comes to meeting through balls and crosses from the likes of Wallace, he can provide the odd speculative effort.

His bicycle kick against Stoke City along with his long-range strike in the victory over Bristol City prove to be perfect examples of this. But Thomas-Asante’s off the ball work is the element of his game that his manager respects the most.

“It’s about every single thing, it’s true that Asante didn’t score in the previous game but his level of effort, his performance in the previous game at home against Blackburn was excellent,” Corberan told Express and Star. “Watford I didn’t think we attacked well enough, but he was well in the game too.”

Thomas-Asante has rotated regularly with Dike, which is an interesting proposition. But probably has been more to do with the American’s injury history, however, Thomas-Asante provides a more than worthy competitor for that striker spot.

Karlan Grant

The forward has struggled to make an impact since Corberan took charge, with him only managing one goal since he came in. That single strike came in their FA Cup third-round tie against Chesterfield.

However, despite his previous history playing at the top of the field for the Baggies, the Spaniard has told how he sees Grant in a different position. “He was playing as a striker when he is not a striker, so he was putting in the effort to play in a position which is not his position. He’s more a winger, and it’s true that, for me,” Corberan said.

With minutes sparse for him so far, it will likely take an injury to one of the other strikers to ensure Grant can get some playing time in the position that saw him score 17 Championship goals last season.