West Brom latest: Josh Maja update, Carlos Corberan pledge, Tony Pulis & Marcelo Bielsa comparison | OneFootball

Despite defeat to Leicester City at the weekend, West Bromwich Albion are still in pole position to secure themselves a play-off spot at the end of the Championship season.

The Baggies have a six-point buffer to seventh-placed Hull City as we head into the final few matches of the season, although the Tigers have an extra game to play against Coventry City tonight.

That loss at the King Power Stadium makes it just one win in their last six league matches, with encounters with Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End to come if they are to get over the line and secure themselves a top-six finish in the second tier.

It promises to be an enthralling couple of weeks ahead at the Hawthorns, and here we take a look at the latest coming out of the club as we head into the final ten days of the regular season.

Josh Maja has returned to the Baggies’ first-team plans in the past couple of weeks, with the former Sunderland man featuring in a 2-0 victory over Rotherham United as well as the defeat to Leicester last time out.

Those two appearances were his first of the calendar year, having had numerous setbacks since joining the club last summer from Ligue 1 side Bordeaux, including an ankle ligament injury sustained in a clash with Bristol City back in September.

That time on the sidelines means the forward has only managed one goal in 192 minutes of Championship football this season, but could prove to be the difference maker in the final stages of the season, as well as a potential playoff campaign.

With his return to first-team action almost feeling like a new signing for the club, Corberan is eager to make the most of the added firepower in his squad in the search for Premier League football.

He said: “I think he's a player that made us feel excited when we brought him to the club, because for me he was a talent in England in his previous clubs with Sunderland, and Fulham in the Premier League.

"After he found difficulty and moved to France to play there and challenge himself, because of the different language, and he used the opportunity very well to grow as a player.

"He comes back here with a desire to put all of his football and all his improvement in England again, so it made me feel excited in the summer with his quality, desire and maturity, but unfortunately the injuries stopped his progress or immediate impact.

“It doesn't mean it has decreased our level of belief in him, because I think he's a special player that with our position and possibilities last summer we understood he was the best player we could achieve.

"That's why he's here. He is a player we are of course looking forward to seeing more, to work more time and seeing him more in games."

Tony Pulis makes Carlos Corberan, Marcelo Bielsa comparison

Former West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis has been impressed by Corberan’s tenure at the Hawthorns and has compared him to an old friend and mentor: Marcelo Bielsa.

The current Albion boss was a prominent figure while the Argentinian masterminded Leeds United’s promotion to the Premier League in 2020, as he thrived in a role of first team coach at Elland Road during a successful time in Yorkshire.

There can’t be much higher praise for the 41-year-old than that of his former boss, and Pulis was keen to heap the praise on the magnificent job he has done at the club since his appointment in October 2022.

He said: “I think Carlos Corberan did a great job at Huddersfield and is a bit like Marcelo Bielsa. He's very dedicated to his job and most likely doesn't think about anything other than winning the next game on a Saturday or Tuesday.

“I've met him a couple of times and think he's an honest and genuine lad, who's done a fabulous job at the club.

“They'll finish in the top six for sure and then it's a toss of a coin whether they go up or not.”

If West Brom do make it into the playoffs, Corberan will be hoping he can improve on his record in recent seasons, with an aggregate defeat to Derby County with Leeds in 2019 followed by defeat at Wembley with Huddersfield Town in 2022.

Corberan: “I love this pressure”

Despite back-to-back defeats leaving the Baggies’ playoff spot in more peril than it was a fortnight ago, boss Corberan has admitted he is thriving in the cauldron of uncertainty that is the race for the Championship playoffs.

The Baggies need four points from their final two matches to ensure themselves a spot in the end-of-season lottery, although they may need fewer depending on results elsewhere in the next two weeks.

His side gave a fighting performance against league-leaders Leicester last time out, and could have got themselves a result if it wasn’t for a swathe of heroic Foxes defending, and the Spaniard is ready to keep that level of performance going into the final two matches of the season.

He said: “It’s excellent! I love this pressure. I love to be fighting for the play-offs. I am preparing for this – I am ready to fight until the last second of the last game.

“We’re in a good position to fight for this, I’m proud of what we’re doing. The play-off is a step to promotion. There are amazing teams here, who have made a big financial investment, but we have two games to achieve the play-offs.

“I don’t care whether we’re fifth or sixth. I want the most points we can achieve. That’s all I’m thinking about. I demand my team will play like this until game 46 and let’s see in week 46.

“I know there is two defeats in a row, the (missed) points, if Hull City (or others) win they will be closer and you will ask about points and pressure, I don’t feel anything like this.

"I want to see the best level. Hopefully our best level makes us arrive to the play-offs because I would love to live this experience with my team.”