Carlos Corberan should be talked about in same breath as Middlesbrough and Sunderland men: View | OneFootball

A routine 2-0 victory over Coventry City on Monday night moved West Bromwich Albion back into the play-off places.

The Baggies, led by Carlos Corberan, secured a fourth win in six league games, with strikes from Grady Diangana and Brandon Thomas-Asante pushing Albion up to fifth place, with a statement of intent provided that they are sure to be in the promotion picture come the end of the campaign.

The Black Country outfit have moved to within two points of third-placed Leeds United and 11 points away from second-placed Ipswich Town by inflicting the Sky Blues’ first defeat at home in 10 games.

It has been a mesmeric transformation for WBA under the former Huddersfield Town boss, with the Spaniard inheriting a confidence bereft side that slipped to the foot of the second-tier table after his first competitive game in charge last October.

But with such an upwards trajectory over the last year, Corberan certainly deserves to be talked about in the same category as some of the other well-performing Championship bosses.

How has Carlos Corberan performed as West Brom manager?

Originally arriving to The Hawthorns hotseat in October 2022, Corberan took over a side who had slipped into the bottom three of the Championship under Steve Bruce, winning just one of their opening 13 league outings under the 62-year-old.

The Baggies would then slump to the bottom of the Championship table in a 2-0 home defeat to Sheffield United, with Corberan’s men ruthlessly pulled apart by the Blades in a humbling afternoon.

But after getting to know his methods, the playing squad responded by winning nine of their next 10 league games – registering seven clean sheets in the process.

The 40-year-old was able to make The Hawthorns a formidable fortress last season, with WBA winning 10 out of their 15 home league matches.

In a resurgent run, Corberan’s men eventually slipped away from gaining a place in the play-offs, with ravaging injuries and the lack of a potent goalscorer contributing factors, but the slightest chance of promotion seemed improbable when he first walked through the doors in the West Midlands.

This term has also started on a high under the Spaniard, with Albion winning six, drawing five and losing just three of their 14 domestic matches.

Corberan has also managed to patch a leaky defence from the start of the campaign, with the Baggies conceding just five goals from their last nine games with seven clean sheets recorded in that time.

This uptake in form has seen Corberan collect 75 points since his first game in charge as reported by journalist Elias Burke, which is only bettered by Michael Carrick at Middlesbrough, who has earned 78 points.

WBA are four points better off than Tony Mowbray’s Sunderland over the past 12 months.

What challenges has Carlos Corberan faced during his time at West Brom?

Over his first two seasons in charge, the Albion boss has had many challenging circumstances to overcome.

With the lack of investment into the club from controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai, WBA were tasked with building a squad capable of competing towards the top end of the division on just loans and free transfers, with Jeremy Sarmiento and Pipa brought in on loan deals while Josh Maja arrived on a permanent transfer from Bordeaux.

With outgoings the main priority to raise funds and balance the books after taking out a £20 million loan from MSD Holdings, Corberan was mostly left with the same players as last term, but had to deal with the significant blow of losing his club captain Dara O’Shea to Premier League side Burnley, with the Republic of Ireland international a mainstay in the side under the coach.

From this, Corberan has had to utilise returning defender Cedric Kipre off the back of a successful loan spell at Cardiff City, with the Ivorian forming a healthy partnership in the backline with Kyle Bartley and Erik Pieters, which has contributed to the club earning the most clean sheets in the second-tier so far this season.

Albion have also received rotten luck in recent times with injuries, with Jeremy Sarmiento and Josh Maja enduring lengthy spells away as well as the likes of Adam Reach, Daryl Dike and John Swift, which has given Corberan very little room to rotate the squad during a hectic Championship schedule.

Corberan is at the moment one of the strongest and most consistent performing managers over the last year, with his side having a strong chance to make the top six if this kind of form continues in the long-term.

Despite all the deficiencies to the playing squad and the off-field issues, Corberan is giving the Baggies faithful a beacon of hope and letting them dream of a return to the top-flight.

One of the most difficult tasks now for the club will be steering Corberan away from any Premier League vacancy links while securing new buyers for the club at some point next year, with Albion fans excited to see where the club can progress to under Corberan if he is given substantial financial backing.